has spoken emotionally about the harrowing personal and legal battle she has been fighting since learning about the detention of her brother, Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitley, in the United Arab Emirates.
Detained since September 2024, Vikrant’s case has seen little progress for over a year, prompting Celina to take extraordinary steps amid turmoil in her own life. From leaving an abusive marriage in Austria in the middle of the night to approaching Indian courts for help, the actor has described her struggle as one of survival, resilience, and unwavering sibling loyalty.
Celina Jaitly thought her brother was pranking her
Celina Jaitly recently opened up to news agency PTI about the moment her life changed with a late-night phone call. Around September 29 last year, while living in Austria, she received news that her brother had been detained in the UAE. At first, she refused to believe it. “For almost an hour, I dismissed it as one of his stupid jokes,” she recalled, adding that the reality only sank in gradually.
At the time, Celina herself was dealing with an abusive marriage. The actor has previously spoken about filing a case against her estranged husband, Peter Haag, under the Domestic Violence Act, accusing him of domestic violence, cruelty, and manipulation. Reflecting on that phase, she said she stayed on in the marriage for the sake of her children, despite having lost emotional, financial, and familial support. “When you don’t have parents, when you no longer have your assets, you do everything to keep your marriage going, specifically for your children,” she said.
Celina’s midnight flight to India
However, her brother’s situation forced her to make a life-altering decision. Celina revealed that she chose to leave Austria in the middle of the night, knowing that staying back would make it impossible for her to fight for Vikrant. “Knowing that if I don’t leave Austria, I won’t be able to stand up for my brother. At 1 o’clock in the night, with hardly any money, a ticket bought on a credit card, I left Austria and came to India,” she said.
Once back in India, Celina faced yet another legal struggle. She claimed that no one stepped forward to support her, forcing her to seek a court injunction merely to enter her Mumbai home. She alleged that her estranged husband was attempting to sell the property without her consent. Simultaneously, she began pursuing legal avenues to secure her brother’s release.
More about Vikrant Jaitley’s case
Celina approached the Delhi High Court, filing a petition that alleged her brother had been illegally abducted and detained in the UAE since September 2024. The petition stated that despite more than a year passing, Indian authorities had failed to obtain even basic information about Vikrant’s welfare or legal status.
Vikrant Jaitly, a former Indian Army officer, had moved to Dubai after retirement and co-founded a company with his wife, Charul Jaitly. Celina revealed that she was informed about his detention by Charul nearly a month after it occurred. Following the court’s intervention, UAE-based firm Al Maree Partners has been appointed to represent Vikrant, with the firm agreeing to take up his case pro bono.