Celina Jaitly has been fighting to bring back her brother Maj (Rtd) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly who has been detained in the UAE since September 2024. In her petition, Celina alleged that her brother was unlawfully abducted and has remained detained in the UAE. She argued that despite more than a year passing, the Centre has not been able to secure even fundamental information about his well-being or legal standing. Earlier this month, the actress got some relief as the Delhi High Court had directed the Ministry of External Affairs to formally appoint the legal firm Al Maree Partners to represent Major (retd.) Vikrant Jaitly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The firm has agreed to take up the case on a pro bono basis. The Delhi High Court asked the Centre whether efforts could be made to establish contact with him and facilitate communication.Now, according to a fresh update, as reported by ANI, on Tuesday the Delhi High Court granted additional time to the Centre and the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi to continue diplomatic efforts and seek cooperation from UAE authorities regarding the detention of Major Vikrant Jaitly (retd). As per the report, the Centre’s counsel informed Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav that the Indian Embassy had sought consular access to Vikrant Jaitly on February 13. However, UAE authorities declined the request, and a new date for such access is still awaited.The government’s lawyer requested a period of three to four weeks to allow the Ministry of External Affairs and the embassy to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels and secure the required cooperation. Responding to the submission, the court observed, “The prayer seems to be reasonable. Accordingly, the hearing is deferred.”The bench further remarked, “It is not the case of the ministry not doing anything… After 10-15 days, nothing is going to change. The ministry says grant us 3-4 weeks so that we can do something substantial,” underscoring that diplomatic engagement requires time.The name of the firm was proposed by Celina’s counsel, Raghav Kacker, who was assisted by Advocates Madhav Agrawal and Suradhish Vats. It was submitted before the court that the firm is prepared to represent Major (Retd.) Vikrant Jaitly free of charge and has independently accessed the case details.
