New Delhi:
Did ND Tiwari father a son, now 31 years old? The Delhi High Court could decide.
In a huge setback for Tiwari, the former Governor of Andhra Pradesh, the Delhi High Court has ruled that it will hear a paternity suit against him filed by Rohit Shekhar. Speaking to NDTV, Shekhar shared, "I am asking for a simple DNA test and a public apology for what he has done. My case should be a deterrent for people like Tiwari who think they can do anything and get away with it."
Late last year, another judge of the Delhi High Court had said the case could not be heard in Delhi and should be filed in Hyderabad since Tiwari was the Andhra Pradesh Governor at the time.
In December, though, Tiwari had to resign as Andhra Governor after an alleged sex scandal - TV channels in Andhra ran footage that they said showed Tiwari in bed with three young women. In his resignation letter, Tiwari said he was quitting because of "poor health".
Tiwari has been fighting the paternity case vehemently, describing it as an attempt to malign him. He has argued that if Shekhar wanted to prove Tiwari is his biological father, he should have filed his case when he turned 18.
Shekhar says "I am not asking for a voting right or the right to go have a beer. I am asking for a paternity right. This is the first case of its kind...there is no precedence for this. I have the right to know who my father is. I have suffered from insomnia and depression since I was 20 - I have medical records to prove my stress."
The case will next be heard by the High Court on April 7.