NEW DELHI — Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed the Centre additional time to pursue diplomatic channels with UAE authorities over the detention of retired Major Vikrant Jaitly. The brother of Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly has been held in the Gulf nation since September 6, 2024, according to a petition filed by his sister.

Government counsel informed the court that the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi requested consular access to Jaitly on February 13. UAE officials denied the request. A new date for such a meeting remains pending.

“The prayer seems reasonable,” the judge said. “Accordingly, the hearing is deferred.” He added that the Ministry of External Affairs needed 3-4 weeks to make substantial progress. “It is not the case of the ministry not doing anything,” Justice Kaurav noted. “After 10-15 days, nothing is going to change.”

Celina Jaitly’s petition accuses UAE authorities of illegally abducting and detaining her brother. Jaitly, who has lived in the UAE since 2016, worked for the MATITI Group in trading, consultancy and risk management, the filing states. It claims the Ministry of External Affairs has failed for over a year to obtain basic details on his condition or legal status.

During the hearing, the court directed the Centre to address Jaitly’s concerns, raised during a prior consular visit, about representation by a Dubai-based law firm suggested by his sister. Government lawyers said they were also working to enable direct interaction between the court and Jaitly.

Vikrant Jaitly has refused to interact with Celina, according to the Centre’s counsel. His wife sought to join the case as a party to counter allegations from her sister-in-law. She submitted a note with relevant information for the record. The court allowed Celina’s side to respond but stressed it would not turn the matter into a family dispute.

The next hearing is set for March. Indian authorities maintain regular contact with Jaitly amid ongoing diplomatic pushes.