Delhi HC gives Centre four weeks to seek video call with Celina Jaitly’s brother

Vikrant Jaitly has been detained in the UAE for over 18 months, though the reasons for his detention remain unclear.

The Delhi high court on Tuesday granted the Centre four weeks to facilitate a video conferencing interaction between actor Celina Jaitly’s detained brother, Vikrant Jaitly, and the court.

Actor Celina Jaitly during an interview in New Delhi on February 6. (PTI)

Vikrant Jaitly has been detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for over 18 months, though the reasons for his detention remain unclear.

The order came after the Centre’s counsel, Nidhi Raman, informed the court that pursuant to its February 10 and 12 directions, the ministry of external affairs had requested the department of legal affairs to examine the possibility of invoking the India–UAE Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) on Juridical and Judicial Matters. The ministry had also asked the department to consider formally approaching the UAE’s central authority to facilitate a virtual interaction between the court and the Indian detainee.

To be sure, the India–UAE Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty on Juridical and Judicial Matters, signed in 1999, provides for the service of summons on persons residing within the UAE’s jurisdiction and for the recording of evidence through Letters of Request issued by Indian judicial authorities.

However, the agreement does not contain any specific provision permitting video conferencing or direct interaction by Indian courts with a person residing in or detained in the UAE. If considered appropriate by the court, the ministry of law and justice, which is the designated central authority under the agreement, can examine the feasibility of seeking assistance from the UAE’s central authority under the MLAT framework.

Raman accordingly sought three to four weeks to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels and obtain the necessary cooperation from the UAE authorities.

It may be noted that on February 10, the high court had asked the Centre whether it could facilitate a video conferencing interaction between the actor’s brother and the court. Subsequently, on February 12, the court directed the Centre to coordinate with the law ministry and examine whether a request could be made to the UAE’s central authority under the MLAT agreement. This followed the Centre’s submission that no direct procedure exists for facilitating interaction between a detainee lodged in a UAE prison and Indian courts.

“The said prayer seems to be reasonable, and accordingly, the hearing of this matter stands deferred to March 17,” the court said in its order.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Celina Jaitly seeking directions to the Centre to facilitate effective legal assistance for her brother, ensure real-time and direct communication between them, and provide regular consular access to monitor his well-being.

During the hearing, the Centre’s counsel further informed the court that the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi had sought consular access to the actor’s brother on February 13, 2026, but the request was not approved by the UAE authorities. She added that the date for the next consular meeting is still awaited.

She also told the court that at the next meeting, the embassy official would inform the actor’s brother about the request letter issued to the law firm M/s Khalid Almari and Partners for providing legal assistance.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing on March 17.