‘Light at the end of the dark tunnel’: Celina Jaitly reacts after Delhi HC ensures legal help for her brother detained in UAE

Celina Jaitly expressed relief and gratitude after the Delhi High Court gave a major ruling in her brother’s case. The court directed authorities to ensure legal access for her brother, Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, who has been detained in the UAE for more than a year.

The ‘No Entry’ actress described the moment as a “ray of hope” and shared her heartfelt reaction on social media soon after the hearing. The actor has been fighting tirelessly for justice for 14 months and said this decision finally felt like “the light at the end of the dark tunnel”.

Celina Jaitly pens a long note of gratitude

She wrote on X, “I write this from the gates of the esteemed Delhi High Court with immense gratitude, as after an arduous 14 months I have finally reached the light at the end of the dark tunnel. I have just exited the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi, where my writ petition regarding my brother Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly was heard in open court….”

Petition claims illegal detention in the UAE

In her petition, Celina claimed that her brother had been “illegally abducted and detained” in the UAE since September 6 last year. For over a year, the actor has been fighting to secure information about his condition and whereabouts.

Delhi High Court orders legal support for Vikrant Kumar Jaitly

As reported by PTI, the Delhi High Court has directed the concerned authorities to take steps to provide effective legal representation to Celina’s brother.

The court issued this directive while seeking a response from the central government to a petition filed by Celina, who has been urging for effective legal representation for her brother.

High Court issues notice to the government

The High Court issued a notice to the government after hearing Celina’s application. In her plea, she stated that her brother, had been living in the UAE since 2016. He was employed with the MATITI Group, which works in trading, consultancy and risk management services.

However, the plea claimed that even after more than a year, the Union Ministry of External Affairs had failed to obtain basic information about his welfare and legal condition.

Government directed to submit response by December 4

Justice Sachin Datta, who heard the case, directed the government to file its response by December 4, which is the next hearing date.

During the hearing, the government’s counsel informed the court that Indian authorities in the UAE had granted consular access to the detainee. However, Celina’s counsel said that despite several attempts, she had been unable to communicate with her brother.

Authorities told to facilitate communication with family

After hearing both sides, the judge instructed the authorities to make efforts to facilitate contact between the actress and her brother. The order also included directions to allow communication between him and his wife.

“The respondent shall depute a nodal officer for the above purpose and also to apprise the petitioner and other family members of the detainee as regards the status of the detainee and the legal proceedings. Let the nodal officer provide regular updates to the petitioner and other family members,” the judge said.

On the movie front, Celina was last seen in the 2011 film 'Thank You' and most recently in a short film called 'Season's Greetings' which was released back in 2020.

Celina Jaitly appeals to Indian government to bring back her brother Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly detained in UAE: ‘I’m not Celina Jaitly right now, I’m just a soldier’s sister’