Court orders Tiwari to undergo paternity test

NEW DELHI - Veteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari was Thursday ordered by the Delhi High Court to undergo a DNA test to ascertain a young man’s claim that Tiwari is his biological father.

Rohit Shekhar, 31, who claims to be Tiwari’s son, was jubilant after the court’s decision. Tiwari has resisted the DNA test to determine the paternity claim in the past.

Justice S. Ravindra Bhat said: “There is imminent need for him (Tiwari) to give blood sample to conduct the scientific test.”

The court turned down the 85-year-old former Andhra Pradesh governor’s plea that he could not be forced to undergo a DNA test, and said it was the right of a child to know his or her biological father.

Reacting to the court decision, Shekhar said: “I am very happy.”

“Justice has been delivered. This was the only route to justice. The court has differentiated between legitimacy, illegitimacy and paternity,” he said.

He filed the petition in 2007 stating that he was Tiwari’s biological son and should get the right to use his father’s name.

Tiwari earlier contended that he could not be compelled by the court to undergo a paternity test.

He said that the paternity suit was filed by Shekhar 31 years after he was born with the objective to malign him.

Earlier this year, Tiwari moved the Supreme Court against a high court order that dismissed his plea challenging the paternity suit filed by Shekhar.