Actress Celina Jaitly has made a profound appeal to Prime Minister Modi, seeking his intervention for the release of her brother, Major (Retired) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, who has been detained in the United Arab Emirates for more than 18 months.
Major Jaitly, a former Indian Army Special Forces officer, has been in the custody of UAE authorities since September 2024. According to Celina Jaitly, the family has struggled for clarity and information about the circumstances surrounding his detention and the legal grounds for his prolonged stay in detention.
In an interview with Celina Jaitly expressed her distress over the lack of transparency and legal access in her brother’s case. She said she only recently learned that he was moved to the Al-Wathba Detention Centre in Abu Dhabi, after unidentified individuals reportedly detained him from a mall parking area.
Adding that “a soldier of our country is in a foreign jail without prosecution. Why should they delay legal aid any further? Her request to Modiji is to please bring this soldier back. He has given his entire youth to the nation. Had he done something wrong, there would have been a prosecution by now.
She underscored her brother’s service and sacrifice, emphasising the need for support and legal clarity from the Indian government. Indian soldiers “are not just numbers,” she stressed, adding that “the nation must stand behind them.” To her brother, she sent a personal message: “Didi (Sister) is with you. The entire country is with you. She will move mountains to get him back.
Celina Jaitly also welcomed a recent order from the Delhi High Court that permitted her brother to be represented by a UAE-based legal firm, a significant development after months of uncertainty.
The court directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to issue the necessary authorisation to Al Maree Partners, a law firm willing to represent Major Jaitly pro bono in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 10.
News Edit KV Raman