The Delhi High Court postponed the hearing regarding the arrest of Major Vikrant Jaitly (retd) in the UAE. This decision came after the Ministry of External Affairs requested four weeks to arrange the next consular meeting with him. Jaitly’s sister, Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly, had filed a petition claiming her brother was unlawfully detained in the UAE and seeking legal representation and consular access for him.
The Centre informed Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav that the planned interaction with Jaitly could not take place on February 13. The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi had requested consular access for Jaitly on that date, but the UAE authorities did not approve the request, leading to a delay in the next meeting date. The Union government asked for three to four weeks to allow the MEA and the Indian Embassy to address the matter diplomatically and seek cooperation from the UAE authorities.
The Delhi High Court found the government’s request reasonable and decided not to keep the matter on a weekly basis. As a result, the hearing was deferred to March 16. Additionally, the court noted that the MEA had approached the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to consider invoking the India-UAE Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement for judicial matters and arranging a virtual interaction between the court and Jaitly.
During the proceedings, counsel representing Jaitly’s wife, Charul Jaitly, requested to be included as a party and submitted a written note outlining case developments. Justice Kaurav instructed the note to be shared with the opposing party for transparency, rejecting a request for an in-camera hearing to avoid turning the case into a family matter. The petitioner, Celina Jaitly, was permitted to file a response note, and the court prohibited parties from engaging with the media without its authorization.
