3 min readNew DelhiFeb 12, 2026 02:38 PM IST
The Delhi High Court heard actor Celina Jaitly’s petition regarding her brother, Major (Retd) Vikrant Jaitly, being detained in the UAE. The court asked Celina and her sister-in-law, Charul Jaitly, to put their differences aside and work together instead of turning the case into a ‘family dispute’.
Vikrant Jaitly is a retired Special Forces commando of the Indian Army. He has been detained in the UAE for the last 18 months, and Celina took it upon herself to contact the Ministry of External Affairs and free him. Now the MEA has updated the Delhi High Court about their contact with Vikrant and the authorities of the UAE.
The matter was heard before Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, and CGSC Nidhi Raman spoke for the ministry. The advocate informed the court that Vikrant is now “regularly interacting”, and that the next interaction will take place on February 13. The statement also mentioned that Vikrant has chosen to interact with his wife (Charul Jaitly) but not his sister Celina. The wife’s attorney informed the court that their client has “been with him (Vikrant)” throughout.
According to a report by PTI, the MEA will give Vikrant the option of four different attorneys to choose from. Celina, on the other hand, appeared in front of the court and said that she has chosen to take care of her brother’s case despite going through a divorce. She said that the only reason why she brought this to court was because Charul “stonewalled” her.
The court then moved their attention to Charul, who had joined via video call, and asked if she wanted her husband to be released. When she answered in the affirmative, the court asked her why she hadn’t authorised the UAE firm to represent her husband. Charul answered that she is next of kin and Celina doesn’t have all the information. She further alleged that she kept Celina in the loop since 2024, even though she had a “strained relationship” with her brother.
The court shut down the pleas of both women and said that this is not a “family dispute”. They pointed out that the main concern is Vikrant, and in order to do that, both Celina and Charul will have to work in “tandem”. When Charul pointed out that her life and her husband’s case have been made a “media joke” and asked the court to restrict the reporting on this matter, the court refused immediately and said that there cannot be any gag order on the media.
