Delhi HC Closes Celina Jaitly’s Plea After Brother Declines Contact In UAE Case

The Delhi High Court has closed the petition filed by actress Celina Jaitly seeking consular access to meet her brother Major Vikrant Jaitly (retd), who is reportedly being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This comes after the Delhi High Court deferred the hearing in the case till March 16. 

Delhi HC Closes Celina Jaitly’s Plea

During the hearing, the court was told that Vikrant chose not to communicate with his sister and stated that any legal decisions should be made after discussing them with his wife. Officials also informed the court that he had already been granted consular access but declined legal assistance. The court instructed the government to stay in contact with him and extend support in accordance with the law. 

The Delhi High Court disposed of actress Celina Jaitly’s petition seeking consular access to meet her brother Vikrant Jaitly, arrested in the UAE. The court was informed that Vikrant declined contact with her and said legal decisions should be taken after consulting his wife. He… pic.twitter.com/vX9d4AVluT

— IANS (@ians_india) March 16, 2026

Earlier, actor Celina Jaitly had alleged that her brother, Vikrant Jaitly, had been “illegally abducted and detained” in the UAE since September 2024. Through her petition, she sought consular access for him as well as legal representation.

During the hearing, Justice Sachin Datta Kaurav was informed by the Centre that a proposed interaction between the siblings scheduled for February 13 could not take place. The court was told that although the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi had requested consular access to Vikrant on that date, the request was not approved by UAE authorities, and a new meeting date was yet to be finalised.

The Union government sought three to four weeks to allow the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy to continue pursuing the matter through diplomatic channels and seek cooperation from the UAE government. Observing that the request appeared reasonable, the Delhi High Court said there was no need to hear the case every week and adjourned the matter to March 16.

The court also recorded submissions that the MEA had asked the Ministry of Law and Justice to examine the possibility of invoking the India-UAE Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in judicial matters and to consider sending a formal request to the UAE authorities to facilitate a virtual interaction between the Delhi High Court and Vikrant.

During the proceedings, counsel representing Vikrant’s wife, Charul Jaitly, sought to be added as a party to the case and submitted a written note outlining certain developments. After reviewing the document, Justice Kaurav said it should be shared with the other side so they could examine the allegations, noting that there was nothing confidential in it.

When Charul Jaitly’s lawyer requested an in-camera hearing, the judge declined, stating that the matter should not be turned into a family dispute as the petition was filed against the Union government.