‘If wife can speak, why not Court?’: Delhi HC seeks direct VC with Celina Jaitly’s detained brother
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to facilitate a video conference interaction between the Court and Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, the brother of actor Celina Jaitly, who is currently detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav observed that direct interaction with Vikrant Jaitly was necessary to understand his position regarding Celina Jaitly’s plea for legal and consular assistance. “Interaction with Vikrant Jaitly is necessary to ascertain if he requires assistance from his wife or his sister. In order to fully appreciate the controversy involved here, it would be appropriate to interact with Vikrant. Ms Raman [Central Government counsel] is requested to facilitate a court interaction through VC,” the judge stated.
The Court emphasised that the life and liberty of an Indian citizen is of utmost importance and directed the government to ensure all legal assistance is provided to Vikrant in Dubai. Justice Kaurav said, “If it is possible for the wife to hold interaction with him, then why cannot it be made available to the Court?”
Why is he detained?
Vikrant Kumar Jaitly has been detained in the UAE for over a year. A former Indian Army officer and UN peacekeeping mission veteran in Lebanon, he was working with a consultancy firm in the UAE when he was allegedly abducted from a mall in the presence of his wife.
Following the incident, Celina Jaitly lodged a complaint through the Union government’s MADAD Portal (Online Consular Services Management System). She alleged that no update had been provided on her complaint and approached the Delhi High Court after the Indian Embassy in the UAE and the Consulate in Dubai did not respond effectively.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Jain, representing Celina Jaitly, informed the Court that Vikrant’s wife was opposing the appointment of a law firm to represent him in the UAE. He submitted that the wife was acting contrary to her husband’s interest and that Celina was intervening as a concerned citizen, not merely as a sister. “He must get legal assistance and he must be out. It is the government’s responsibility under the Vienna Convention, not the wife or sister,” he argued.
The Court agreed that the wife could not prevent the engagement of legal representation. Vikrant Jaitly’s wife, appearing through her counsel, stated that the MEA had been providing all assistance and that she had been in touch with her husband. She also claimed that Vikrant had asked her not to engage the law firm in question.