Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) Veteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari Thursday filed a personal affidavit at the Delhi High Court, saying no person could be compelled to give a blood sample for DNA tests in a paternity suit and cited his 70 years of “unblemished” service to the nation.

Filing the affidavit, Tiwari said as per various Supreme Court judgments no person can be forced to give his blood sample against his will during a court proceeding.

The 87-year-old Congress leader said he was an old man who is “protected” by various judgments and also had an unblemished record of service to the nation.

The paternity suit against him has been filed by 31-year-old Rohit Shekhar, who claims to be Tiwari’s biological son.

Justice Gita Mittal Monday issued a contempt notice to Tiwari and asked him to state on oath that the decision not to give a blood sample for a paternity test was his own and not that of his lawyers.

The politician was told to give the blood sample for conducting a DNA test in the peternity suit.

Asking Tiwari to file a “personal affidavit” by July 14, the court said it would not allow him to take a ground at a later stage that his response was based on ‘legal advice’.

The contempt notice was issued on an application by Shekhar, seeking prosecution of the leader for his failure to deposit a cost of Rs.75,000 imposed on him Dec 23 last year.

Tiwari, who has been a chief minister, union minister and governor, has been defying court orders contending “nobody can be subjected to pressure to give evidence in this manner”.

Tiwari’s five-decade political career virtually ended in 2009 after a news channel showed explicit clippings of an elderly man purported to be him with three young women in bed when he was Andhra Pradesh governor. A few days later, Tiwari resigned on health grounds.