Paternity suit: Court orders Tiwari's reply in 4 weeks

New Delhi, April 7: Former Andhra Pradesh governor N D Tiwari was Wednesday directed by the Delhi High Court to file his response in a paternity suit against him within four weeks.The court of Justice J.R.Midha asked Tiwari, 86, to file a written reply in the suit filed by 34-year-old Rohit Shekhar within four weeks, failing which he will have to appear before the court personally. The veteran politician, who was also the chief minister of Uttaranchal, has been asked to respond to the photographs submitted by Shekhar, showing both of them together on different occasions, and also on Shekhar's plea for a DNA test. The court, while allowing an application by Tiwari seeking more time, said that this would be the last chance for him and if Tiwari failed to furnish the reply in the stipulated time, he will have to come personally on May 20, the next date of hearing. The court had on March 17 dismissed Tiwari's plea challenging the paternity suit and said that it may consider ordering a DNA test if the issue of maintainability was raised by him. Shekhar has claimed that Tiwari began neglecting him and his mother Ujjawala Sharma after 1995 and refused to meet him after becoming the Uttaranchal chief minister. He now wants a DNA test to confirm his biological father.  Tiwari's five-decade-old political career came to a virtual end after a news channel last year showed clippings of an elderly man purported to be Tiwari in bed with three young women. A few days later, Tiwari resigned as the Andhra Pradesh governor citing health grounds.
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