New Delhi, Feb 17 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has postponed the hearing regarding the detention of Major Vikrant Jaitly (retd) in the UAE after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) requested an additional four weeks to facilitate the subsequent consular meeting with him.

A single-judge bench led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav was reviewing a petition submitted by Jaitly’s sister, Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly, who alleged that her brother has been “illegally abducted and detained” in the United Arab Emirates and is seeking both legal representation and consular support.

During the proceedings, Justice Kaurav was informed that the planned meeting with Jaitly was unable to take place on February 13.

The court learned that while the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi had requested consular access on that date, the UAE authorities did not grant approval, and the next meeting date remains pending.

The Union Government has asked for three to four weeks to allow the MEA and the Indian Embassy to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels and to collaborate with the UAE authorities.

Justice Kaurav deemed the request as “reasonable”, stating that there was “no reason to keep the matter on a weekly basis”, and has rescheduled the hearing for March 16.

It was also noted that the MEA has requested the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to consider invoking the India-UAE Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement regarding judicial matters and to send a formal request to the UAE central authority for a virtual meeting between the Delhi High Court and Jaitly.

During the session, the lawyer representing Jaitly’s wife, Charul Jaitly, requested to be included as a party and submitted a written note outlining certain developments in the case.

Upon reviewing the note, Justice Kaurav remarked: “If this is what your case is, provide it to the other side so they can understand the grievances against them. There is nothing confidential.”

When the counsel for the wife requested an in-camera hearing, the judge refused, asserting: “I don’t want to convert it into a family issue. This is a writ petition against the Union of India.”

The petitioner, Celina Jaitly, has been granted the liberty to submit a response note.

The Delhi High Court also instructed that all parties refrain from interacting with the media without prior consent.

Celina Jaitly approached the Delhi High Court seeking assistance for her brother, asserting that the retired Indian Army officer, who has resided in the UAE since 2016, was “illegally abducted and detained” in September 2024, and is requesting directions for consular access and legal aid.