New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Thursday directed the wife of former defence minister George Fernandes to present the 80-year-old leader before it Monday to decide the custody battle between her and his brothers.
Justice V.K. Shali directed Leila Kabir to present the socialist leader, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, before him at 4 p.m. on July 5.
‘The court wants to ascertain what he wants. The person who, due to some incapability, was not able to be heard, the court wants to know what is in his mind to settle the issue,’ Justice Shali said.
The court was hearing the petition filed by Fernandes’ brothers Richard and Michael seeking custody of their brother alleging that the former minister and convenor of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is not being properly treated by his wife.
An application was also filed by the brothers of the leader asking for the constitution of a medical board to assess his health condition.
Expressing concern for the minister, Justice Shali said: ‘I am not on the legal dimension of the case. My concern is only about his health.’
The court also asked the two sides to identify a lawyer who knows Konkani language so that he can help translate Fernandes’ statement. The court passed this order after it was informed that Fernandes speaks in English as well as Konkani with his brothers.
The brothers of the leader also sought the court’s permission to shift him to his official residence at 3, Krishna Menon Marg from the residence of his wife in south Delhi’s Panchsheel Park neighbourhood.
However, Kabir’s lawyer Aman Lekhi objected to it saying that Fernandes was being treated at a private hospital in south Delhi and there was no need to shift him to his official residence.
A former aide of the leader, Jaya Jaitley, Wednesday alleged that she and her friends were denied entry to his official residence where they had gone to pick up some office material.
Jaitley said she had a letter from Kabir to collect her office material from the house. Jaitley along with the two brothers of the leader also staged a protest when denied entry.
The leader’s brothers in their plea alleged that Kabir was not allowing them access to him. They also alleged that she was staying separately from Fernandes for the past 25 years and had now come back to him as she coveted his property.
