New Delhi, Feb 3 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to authorize a Dubai-based law firm to represent actor Celina Jaitly's brother, retired Major Vikrant Jaitley who has been detained in the UAE for more than a year.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said if the Ministry of External Affairs had any reason to not issue such an authorization, it would be specifically brought on record by the next hearing on February 10.
The court noted that the law firm was offering pro-bono services to the actor's brother who had also not objected to being represented by it.
"You either issue the order or file an affidavit... In all fairness, he has to be represented, isn't it," the judge remarked.
"Let the government, ministry of external affairs (MEA) issue appropriate order in favour of (the law firm) authorizing the said firm to represent Mr Vikrant Kumar Jaitley for all purposes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. If there is any reason for not acting upon the direction, let the same be brought on record by the next date of hearing," the court ordered.
It passed the order on a petition by Celina Jaitly seeking effective legal representation for her brother who had been "illegally abducted and detained" in the UAE since September 6, 2024.
The petitioner's lawyer told the court that the law firm was willing to offer free-of-cost services to Vikrant Jaitley and was awaiting the MEA's nod to take further legal action on his behalf.
In the petition, the actor said her brother, who was residing in the UAE since 2016, was employed with the MATITI Group which engaged in trading, consultancy, and risk management services.
However, despite the passage of over one year, the MEA has failed to secure basic information about the actor's brother, including his welfare conditions and legal status, the plea alleged.
