Providing all possible help, says MEA on actor Celina Jaitly’s brother’s detention

The Delhi high court this week ordered MEA to provide legal assistance to the former army officer on a petition filed by his sister, actor Celina Jaitly

Published on: Nov 7, 2025, 21:01:14 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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NEW DELHI: Indian authorities are providing all possible help to Major Vikrant Jaitly (retired), the brother of actor Celina Jaitly, who has been detained in the United Arab Emirates for more than 14 months, the external affairs ministry said on Friday.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian side is in touch with UAE authorities regarding the case of Maj Vikrant Jaitley (retd). (Instagram/celinajaitlyofficial/)

The Delhi high court this week directed the external affairs ministry to provide legal assistance to the former army officer while hearing his sister’s petition, which sought directions to the government to facilitate effective legal assistance for her brother, ensure real-time communication between them, and ensure regular consular access to monitor his well-being.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian side is in touch with UAE authorities regarding the case of Vikrant Jaitley.

“Our embassy is seized of the matter. We have been making consular visits to him, and we have done so on four occasions,” Jaiswal said while responding to a question on the issue.

“We are also in close touch with his family, including his wife. As is natural, whenever there’s an Indian national who needs support, we are offering all possible assistance,” he said.

Noting that the case had come up in the high court on November 3 and that the judges had given certain directions, Jaiswal said: “Based on those directions, we are providing all possible assistance to Major Vikrant.”

Celina Jaitly has claimed her brother was illegally abducted and detained in the UAE in September 2024. She contended that despite more than a year having passed, the government had failed to obtain basic information about his welfare or legal status.

The central government’s counsel informed the high court that her brother was arrested in connection with a case and that the external affairs ministry was in contact with his wife. The counsel said that Indian authorities in the UAE were granted consular access to Vikrant Jaitly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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