Lawyer alleges dark detention as court orders MEA to break silence on Vikrant Jaitley case
Having been in detention for over 14 months since his arrest in September 2024, Major Jaitley's family remains in a distressing state of uncertainty regarding the reasons for his arrest, prompting a plea to the Delhi High Court for urgent intervention.
New Delhi: "We have no idea why he has been detained; we have no official communication. That's why we have filed a writ petition, because it has been kept in the dark." These distressing words from Raghav Kacker, the lawyer representing retired Major Vikrant Jaitley, brother of Bollywood actor Celina Jaitly, highlight the unaccountable and prolonged detention of the ex-serviceman in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Having been in detention for over 14 months since his arrest in September 2024, Major Jaitley's family remains in a distressing state of uncertainty regarding the reasons for his arrest, prompting a plea to the Delhi High Court for urgent intervention.
The legal team, along with Celina Jaitly herself, has been relentlessly pursuing information and relief. According to Kacker, their efforts have been hampered by a complete lack of official communication from UAE authorities. The only known detail is that Major Jaitley was arrested at the Emirates Mall and has been in detention ever since.
It was only after three weeks that his wife managed to inform his family, initiating a continuous cycle of representations to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeking his release from what they term "illegal detention."
The Delhi High Court has now directed the MEA to file a status report, compelling them to provide concrete details. "Now that the HC has directed the MEA to file the status report, they have to file a status report telling us exactly what the case number is, why he has been detained, what the authorities in Dubai or the UAE are saying and based on that information we will be in a position to file an interim application and ending writ petition seeking appropriate relief," Kacker explained to Tv9 English.
Celina Jaitly had approached the Delhi High Court earlier, seeking directions for the MEA to ensure her brother receives adequate legal and medical assistance. Her plea asserted that Major Jaitley was "illegally abducted and detained" in the UAE in September of the previous year.
Responding to the High Court, the Centre's counsel, Nidhi Raman, stated on Monday that Vikrant had been arrested in connection with "a case," without giving details of the offence and confirmed that the MEA is in communication with his wife. Raman also claimed that Major Jaitley had been granted consular access in the UAE.
Represented by advocates Raghav Kacker, Ribhav Pande, and Madhav Aggarwal, with Celina Jaitly present in court, the plea highlighted that her brother, who had been residing in the UAE since 2016 and was employed with the MATITI Group, has not had verifiable communication with his family for over a year.
The bench of Justice Sachin Datta, after hearing the arguments, issued a notice to the MEA, mandating them to facilitate communication between Celina and Vikrant. The court also ordered the appointment of a nodal officer for the case, emphasising the need for effective legal representation and regular consular access to monitor Major Jaitley's well-being. The court's order stated, "The respondents shall take steps to provide effective legal representation with respect to his arrest and detention. Let an attempt be made by the respondent to facilitate contact between the petitioner and her brother. The respondents are directed to appoint a nodal officer."