The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted time to the Centre and the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi to apply diplomatic efforts with UAE authorities to free Major Vikrant Jaitly (retd), brother of actress Celina Jaitly.

As per PTI, appearing before Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, the Centre’s counsel said the Indian Embassy had requested consular access to Vikrant Jaitly on February 13, but the request was denied. The next date for another meeting is still awaited.

Seeking time to solve the matter through diplomatic methods, the Centre urged the court to allow three to four weeks to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy to receive necessary cooperation from the UAE.

“The prayer seems to be reasonable. Accordingly, the hearing is deferred,” the court said.

“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 three to four weeks so that we can do something substantial,”the bench added.

The petition was filed by Celina, who sought effective legal representation for her brother, who has been “illegally abducted and detained” in the UAE since September 6, 2024.

The court directed the Centre to note Vikrant’s concerns during the next consular visit, particularly regarding representation by a Dubai-based law firm as suggested by his sister. The Centre also informed the court that it is working to facilitate an interaction between Vikrant and the court.

Vikrant’s wife moved the court to make her a party in the case, saying she wished to respond to allegations made against her by her sister-in-law. She submitted a note containing information she claimed had a bearing on the case. The court allowed the petitioner to respond, while also clarifying that the case would not be allowed to turn into a family dispute.

The matter has been listed for further hearing in March.

Previously, the Centre told the court that Indian authorities are in regular contact with Vikrant, who has reportedly declined to interact with his sister.

According to the petition filed by Celina, Vikrant had been residing in the UAE since 2016 and was working with the MATITI Group, a firm engaged in trading, consultancy and risk management services.

The plea alleged that even after more than a year, the Ministry of External Affairs has failed to secure basic information regarding his condition and legal status.