Delhi HC Directs Centre to Provide Legal Aid to Celina Jaitly’s Brother Detained in UAE

The Delhi High Court has directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to immediately provide legal assistance to Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, brother of actor Celina Jaitly, who has allegedly been detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for over a year in connection with a national security case.

A bench led by Justice Sachin Datta, which heard the case on Monday, instructed the Centre to take urgent steps to ensure adequate legal support for Major Jaitly and to facilitate communication between him, his wife, and his sister. The court also directed the government to appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the UAE authorities.

In her plea, Celina Jaitly sought the court’s intervention for legal, medical, and diplomatic assistance for her brother, alleging that he was “illegally abducted and detained” on September 6 last year. She said he had been living in the UAE since 2016 and was employed with the MATITI Group, a firm involved in trading, consultancy, and risk management.

Jaitly was represented by advocates Raghav Kacker, Ribhav Pande and Madhav Aggarwal, who argued that despite repeated representations, the family has not been able to speak to him even once, and he has been denied a single verified phone call for over a year.

Appearing for the Centre, the government’s counsel informed the court that Indian authorities in the UAE had granted consular access to the detainee and that they were continuously monitoring the situation.

The petitioner further stated that after learning of the alleged abduction, a complaint was filed on the government’s ‘MADAD Portal’, but no updates were provided. She also claimed that representations to the Indian Embassy in the UAE did not yield results.

The plea asserts that the Government of India has a continuing constitutional and moral obligation to protect its citizens detained abroad. It argues that the state “cannot remain a passive observer when an Indian citizen is deprived of liberty in a foreign jurisdiction,” and urges the court to direct the Centre to ensure legal representation, medical care and regular consular contact for Major Jaitly.

Case Title: Celina Jaitly v. Union Of India

Bench: Justice Sachin Datta

Hearing Date: 3 November 2025

Inputs: Indian Express