Bollywood actor Celina Jaitly has been seeking answers regarding the detention of her brother, Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, in the United Arab Emirates since September last year. Last week, she welcomed the Delhi High Court’s order permitting the appointment of a UAE-based legal firm to represent him.
According to the latest update from news agency ANI, the Delhi High Court has now asked the Centre whether it is possible to facilitate an interaction between the court and her brother.
What did the Delhi High Court say?
As per ANI, the High Court directed counsel for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to contact the concerned ministry and the Indian Consulate to explore the possibility of enabling Major (Retd.) Vikrant Jaitly to interact with the court. Vikrant Jaitly remains in detention in the UAE.
The court has also instructed all parties to refrain from speaking to the media without its permission. The matter has been listed for further hearing on February 12.
Celina Jaitly was seen leaving the Delhi High Court on Tuesday afternoon but did not make any statement to the media.
More details on the case
Last week, the High Court directed the MEA to issue an order allowing the legal firm Al Maree Partners to represent Major (Retd.) Vikrant Jaitly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The firm has offered to handle the case pro bono.
The firm’s name was proposed by Celina’s counsel, Raghav Kacker, along with Advocates Madhav Agrawal and Suradhish Vats. It was submitted before the court that the firm had independently obtained case details and was willing to provide legal representation free of cost.
In her petition, the actor alleged that her brother had been illegally abducted and detained in the UAE since September 2024. She argued that despite more than a year passing, the Centre had failed to secure even basic information about his welfare or legal status.
On November 3 last year, the court had directed the Union Ministry of External Affairs to provide legal assistance to Vikrant, facilitate communication between the siblings, and appoint a nodal officer to handle the case. (Agencies)
