New Delhi:
In a major setback for veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari, the Supreme Court today rejected his plea for a stay on a DNA test ordered by the Delhi High Court to decide a paternity suit filed by a man claiming to be his son.
Rohit Shekhar, 32 years old, has taken Mr Tiwari to court, demanding a DNA test to determine whether the Congressman is his biological father. Mr Tiwari has denied the allegations and has tried different legal routes to avoid submitting a blood sample.
Dismissing his plea, the Supreme Court today, in a stern warning, said, "If you are clean, go and give the blood sample. If you don't want physical force, go and comply with the High Court order."
The Delhi High Court had, on Monday, directed Mr Tiwari to provide his blood sample for a DNA test, directing authorities to let the leader "voluntarily comply with the order". The directive came after the same court had earlier reprimanded him for trying to duck the paternity test and warned of intervention by the police if he didn't co-operate. The 86-year-old leader then moved a petition in the Supreme Court, contending that claiming no such sample could be taken by force as it went against the Constitution, which bars a person from incriminating himself.
The top court today directed the Dehradun civil surgeon and the district judge to visit Mr Tiwari's residence on May 29 to collect his blood sample that it ordered to be sent in a sealed cover to a laboratory. The order came after the leader's counsel said that the former could not move around because of his age.