’You can’t force me’

Says senior Congress leader ND Tiwari to Delhi High Court on the issue of his DNA test, fails to provide blood sample

'You can't force me'

Says senior Congress leader ND Tiwari to Delhi High Court on the issue of his DNA test, fails to provide blood sample

Ignoring Delhi High Court's May 10 order, veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari, who is facing paternity suit of 31-year-old Rohit Shekhar claiming to be his biological son, told the court on Wednesday that he couldn't be forced to appear and give his blood sample to decide the case.

What next? Rohit Shekhar with his mother Ujjwala outside the
Delhi High Court on Wednesday. PIC/Imtiyaz Khan

85-year-old Tiwari, who was earlier asked to give his blood sample as he failed to get relief from the High Court and the Supreme Court, moved an application saying "nobody can be pressurised to give evidence in this manner".

The application, filed by lawyer Bahar U Barqi, said none of the courts had asked Tiwari to give his blood sample 'compulsorily' to decide the paternity suit. Citing national and international laws on forcing a person to give evidence in a civil case, Barqi said it was against the basic principles of natural justice. Joint Registrar Deepak Garg placed the matter before the regular court to decide the fresh application of Tiwari.

Tiwar along with Rohit Shekhar and his mother Ujjwala Sharma was ordered to appear and give their blood samples. However, the counsel for Rohit, vehemently opposed the plea saying the Congress leader is "trying to wriggle out of the judicial proceedings in an unfair manner."

"Not only the single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court but also its division bench and even the Supreme Court have asked Tiwari to undergo the DNA test on the ground that the crucial evidence in the case may be lost forever because of the fact that he is 85-year-old," the counsel said.

Stingu00a0in theu00a0tale
Tiwari's five-decade-old political career came to a virtual end after a news channel in 2009 showed clippings of an elderly man purported to be Tiwari in bed with three young women. A few days later, Tiwari resigned as the Andhra Pradesh governor citing health grounds.