Court dismisses Tiwari's plea to keep DNA report confidential

The Delhi High Court Friday dismissed veteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari's plea that the report of his DNA test be kept confidential till the conclusion of the hearing in a paternity suit filed by Rohit Shekhar, who claims to be his son.

Justice Reva Khetrapal said the DNA report would be opened in court July 27.
Tiwari, 97, had also requested the court to allow in-camera proceedings.

Rohit Shekhar, 32, had in 2008 filed the suit claiming to be Tiwari's biological son.
Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics recently submitted DNA reports of Tiwari, Rohit and his mother Ujjwala Sharma in court.

Tiwari had May 29 furnished his blood sample for the DNA test at his residence in Dehradun following orders of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.

Tiwari said in his plea: "Direct all concerned to comply with the directions passed by the Supreme Court, and let the DNA report completely sealed and confidential till conclusion of the entire trial or alternatively at reasonable appropriate stage in the suit."

Referring to one of the Supreme Court orders, he said the apex court had made it clear that the DNA report would remain confidential till the conclusion of "reasonable, appropriate and proportionate trial".

"Pass appropriate directions to conduct entire trial and all proceedings relating to the civil suit in-camera," his plea said.

He said Rohit and his mother were "leaving no stone unturned to get the report unsealed and make it public to attract undue media attention without completion of trial".