At last, Tiwari gives blood sample

DNA analysis to be carried out following a paternity suit

Vteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari on Tuesday gave his blood sample in connection with the paternity suit filed by a 32-year-old man claiming to be his biological son. File photo

The beleaguered Congress veteran Narain Dutt Tiwari voluntarily gave his blood sample for DNA analysis, in the presence of a high-level team of members of the judiciary, administration and lawyers accompanied by the litigant Rohit Shekar and his mother Ujjawala Sharma, at his Anant Van residence here on Tuesday.

The ruling Congress distanced itself from the episode, with Uttarakhand Congress president Yashpal Arya saying it would be improper to comment as the matter was sub judice as well as personal.

The process had been necessitated following the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court orders in a 2008 paternity suit filed by Mr. Shekar, 32, claiming to be the biological son of Mr. Tiwari.

The blood sample, which took more than four hours to collect and seal, was handed over to Joint Registrar of the Delhi High Court R. Gopalan, who will submit it to the court for DNA profiling.

Mr. Tiwari's residence was cordoned off by the police in large numbers since morning.

District Judge Raj Krishna and Chief Medical Superintendent of the Government Doon Hospital B.C. Pathak were present.

Coming out of the residence, a senior official said the process had been completed as directed by the Supreme Court. The samples would be sent to the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, which would report directly to the court.

Mr. Tiwari's counsel said the court orders had been complied with.

Mr. Shekar said: “I would however urge the authorities to exercise total security and honesty as he [Mr. Tiwari] was a big man who had played legal games so far and might engineer tampering with the samples.”

Ms. Sharma said: “Mr. Tiwari cooperated fully and voluntarily gave his blood sample.”

Local television channels aired footage purported to have been recorded inside Mr. Tiwari's residence on Tuesday showing Mr. Shekar and his mother in a heated discussion. Ms. Sharma was seen appealing to her son to settle matters amicably as it was not necessary to make family matters public. Mr. Shekar however seemed firm on getting the matter settled as per law.

Sources close to the Tiwari family claimed that there were photographs showing Mr. Tiwari with Ms. Sharma and a baby at a ‘mundan' ceremony.