Delhi High Court Asks Centre To Facilitate Actor Celina Jaitly's Contact With Her Brother Detained In UAE

The Delhi High Court on Thursday (December 4) asked the Ministry of External Affairs to help facilitate contact between actor Celina Jaitly with her brother, a retired Indian Army officer, who was arrested and detained in UAE. 

The court was hearing a plea by Jaitly seeking effective legal representation for her brother. 

After hearing the matter for some time Justice Sachin Datta orally said:

"I have issued these two directions. Number 1 the consulate officer will inform the detained person that if he so wishes he can contact the petitioner. Number 2 they will try to facilitate contact through the Tam app, if thats not possible through other mode".

During the hearing the counsel appearing for the brother's wife submitted that she had received necessary help from Ministry of External Affairs. "We (wife) are in touch with detained person. She has had a video call. Once in a week video meeting is there," he added.

He further said, "Vikrant has indicated his preference not to contact his sister for the time being. This litigation was completely unnecessary".

Meanwhile Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma appearing in the matter said: "We wish to make it clear in the hon'ble court that government is acutely conscious & sensitive and deeply appreciative of credibility of the family. This is the fourth generation serving in the armed forces and they have laid down their lives. The government is acutely conscious. We want to facilitate what can happen. But for my friend on the other side may also just rethink, that why would the brother not want to talk with the sister".

The court further orally said, "therefore you ask consulate official who will be visiting detained person to impress upon detained person he has option of contacting her (Celina)...my direction no. 2 is that you will facilitate such contact". 

The Court also asked the Centre to make sure consular access is obtained in the next few days.

The court thereafter noted, "the ASG submits an endeavour shall be made to obtain consular access as soon as possible to ensure implementation of above direction. Let fresh status report be filed". 

Previously the court had issued notice on Jaitly's plea and had directed:

1. The respondent to take steps to provide effective legal representation to Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly with respect to his arrest and detention (in UAE).

2.  Attempt/s shall be made by the respondent/s to facilitate communication/ contact between Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly and the petitioner (his sister), as also with his wife.

3. The respondent/s (Ministry of External Affairs) shall depute a Nodal Officer for the aforesaid purpose/s and keep the petitioner and his family members apprised as to the above and as to the whereabouts/ present condition of the detained person, as also the status of legal proceedings in the UAE.

During the hearing today Celina's counsel submitted that while nodal officer was appointed the first two directions have not been complied with. Meanwhile the Centre's counsel submitted that it had complied with all three directions. "He has requested for a specific counsel, we are agreeable to provide him," the counsel said.

However the counsel for the petitioner said, "We had requested that no one has represented him (detained person) for 16 months". 

The court orally asked, "Have you been able to contact your brother or not?" To this the counsel said that the petitioner had not been able to call her brother.

He said that contact calling card gets updated with prison authorities and detainee cannot chose who the call; that direction has to come through the authorities effectively through the embassy. 

"You want the respondent to arrange with the prison authorities for detained person to call you?" the court asked.

The petitioner's counsel then said,"The UAE provides for service on a TAM app, whether either inmate can access the app or I can access the app and through that calling card gets connected and we can facilitate the communication. We need a valid Emirates id to be able to download and activate app. It cannot be on his (brother) end, his id has expired. She is not a resident of UAE, she cannot use the app. Through modalities if we can be granted consular access". 

He further said that direction 2 of earlier order can be enforced where the sister be allowed to contact her brother. 

Meanwhile the wife's counsel also said that the day the incident happened the wife contacted MEA and she was provided with all necessary assistance. "This has been informed to the petitioner also here. But for her own reasons...she has chosen this," he added. 

The court thereafter said, "The petitioner is entitled to contact her brother and I have directed the consulate to facilitate this". 

Case title: CELINA JAITLY v/s UNION OF INDIA

W.P.(C)-16613/2025