The Delhi High Court disposed of a petition concerning the detention of the brother of actress Celina Jaitly in the United Arab Emirates, after noting that the Government of India has been providing continuous consular assistance and that the detainee has declined legal representation.

The matter was heard by a bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, where Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma appeared on behalf of the Union Government.

During the hearing, the Court was informed that officials of the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi had been granted consular access to the detainee on multiple occasions and had interacted with him several times. A sealed report placed before the Court by the Ministry of External Affairs indicated that embassy officials had also informed him about the availability of pro bono legal assistance from a UAE-based law firm. However, the detainee unequivocally stated that he was not willing to be represented by any lawyer at this stage.

The Court also recorded that the detainee had declined to communicate with the petitioners and had indicated that decisions regarding legal matters should be taken in consultation with his wife.

Taking note of the submissions made by the government and the material placed on record, the Court observed that the reliefs sought in the petition relating to legal representation, consular assistance, and communication with family had already been adequately addressed through diplomatic channels and ongoing engagement by the Indian authorities.

Accordingly, the Court held that there was no reason to keep the petition pending and disposed of the matter, while noting that the Indian Embassy would continue to remain in contact with the detainee and extend all assistance permissible under law.