Tiwari is a dad at 87: DNA test finally settles paternity suit against veteran Congress leader

After a protracted legal battle, 32-year-old Rohit Shekhar stands vindicated. A DNA test has confirmed that 87-year-old veteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari is his biological father.

'I am not the illegitimate son, he is my illegitimate father. His legal troubles have just begun,' Shekhar, who had filed a paternity suit in 2008, said.

He also claimed he would exercise all his legal rights in the matter. Justice Reva Khetrapal of the Delhi High Court declared the result of the DNA test in the open court on Friday:

'Tiwari is reported to be the biological father of Rohit Shekhar and Ujjwala Sharma is reported to be the biological mother.' Earlier on Friday, the court refused Tiwari's request that the result of the test be kept confidential till the conclusion of the hearing.

It was on May 29 this year that former Uttarakhand CM Tiwari furnished his blood sample for the test at his residence in Dehradun, following Supreme Court and Delhi High Court orders. Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics had recently submitted the DNA reports of Tiwari, Shekhar and Ujjwala in court. Shekhar said: 'He will now pay for all the hurt he caused my mother and the mental pain and agony we suffered all these years. Now it's up to her to decide on the course of action. I will do whatever she says.'

Ujjwala added: 'Tiwari was trying to hide the truth and erected one hurdle after another.'

In the court, Shekhar and Ujjwala had to face nervous moments during the 10-minute proceedings as Justice Khetrapal observed that the declaration of result can be deferred till Monday because she wanted to go through the order of the division bench.

However,

Vedant Verma, Shekhar's counsel, opposed the suggestion saying Rohit had already suffered a heart attack. ' The result must be declared after taking my submissions on record,' he said.

The court, which recorded that Tiwari's lawyer did not appear, asked Rohit and Ujjwala's advocates to come in the chamber for de-sealing of the report and, minutes later, declared the result. The judge noted no one had appeared on Tiwari's behalf though it was almost 4 pm and neither had a request been made for an adjournment on his behalf. ' Accordingly, let the sealed cover be opened and the report be placed on the file, which would be available to the parties only,' she directed.

The lawyers told Justice Khetrapal that the division bench had upheld the earlier order to declare the DNA test result in the open court.

© Daily Mail, London