’Tiwari needs a lesson’

'Tiwari needs a lesson'

After the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari's objections to a paternity test, his alleged biological son Rohit Shekhar spoke to MiD Day about his childhood and the ongoing legal tussle

As the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay on Delhi High Court's order asking former Andhra Pradesh Governor Narayan Dutt Tiwari to undergo a DNA test in a paternity suit, 31-year-old Rohit Shekhar, who claims to be his biological son, felt somewhat vindicated. "All I have been asking from the honourable court is my right and after today's verdict, I feel justice has been delivered," said Shekhar while speaking to MiD Day.

Sweet revenge! A file picture of Rohit Shekhar with ND Tiwari, celebrating
the latter's birthday .

"Tiwari should be treated as a criminal and punished as per the law of land. He has given 'slow poison' to me and my mother. For years, I have been fighting for my rights and this order should serve as a lesson for him. There are hundreds of children like me who are abandoned by their 'so-called fathers'. I am sure my struggle would give them a ray of hope and encourage them to fight for their rights," added Shekhar, a lawyer by profession.

Talking about his childhood, Shekhar said, "When I was a kid, he (Tiwari) used to bring me gifts, candies and new clothes on my birthday. He loved me a lot and often used to say 'Yeh mera raja beta ha' (he is my darling son) but ironically never confessed the same in public. My mother kept forcing him to accept both of us but he kept procrastinating things. As I grew up, things became clear to me and I became aware of my rights."

In a petition filed in Delhi High Court in December 2008, Shekhar had mentioned that Tiwari had shortchanged his mother Ujjwala Sharma and him since 1995 and he was refusing to meet them. "I know I will never be able to change anything by this (the court case). But every child has a right to know who his biological father is. Being denied this right has been very humiliating for me and my mother."

In the order given on Monday, the SC bench comprising Justice Aftab Alam and Justice RM Lodha made it clear that the findings of the test would not be made public until and unless it is required by the court to decide the paternity suit against Tiwari.

Celebs and their love's labour lost
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* Eric Clapton's song "Tears In Heaven" will bring even the gruffest Viking to tears, but the story behind the song is quite scandalous. Clapton was married to the model Pattie Boyd (ex-wife of George Harrison) when he cheated on her with Italian model Lori Del Santo, who gave birth to Clapton's love child, Conor. While still a baby, Conor fell from the 53rd floor of a New York City apartment building and died, prompting his father to write his iconic song.u00a0 But Conor was not Clapton's only love child; he also fathered a girl named Ruth with Yvonne Kelly, who ran a recording studio on a Caribbean island where Clapton recorded an album.

*u00a0Everyone knows about the three children Michael Jackson has acknowledged: Prince Michael, Paris, and the unfortunately named Prince Michael II, or "Blanket." However, immediately following the King of Pop's death, speculation arose that Jackson had a fourth kiddie. According to the U.K.'s Telegraph newspaper, a young man named Omer Bhatti of Oslo, Norway, claims to be Jackson's love child from a one-night-stand with a woman named Pia Bhatti, back in 1984. Jackson's paternity has never been officially confirmed.

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*u00a0Recently, it was reported that Eddie Murphy was making an effort to bond with his illegitimate daughter whose mother is former 'Spice Girl' Melanie Brown. Eddie had previously denied paternity of Mel B's daughter despite a paternity test which proved he was indeed the father. Murphy had previously stated that he wanted no contact with the child until she was 18 years old.

Tiwari's other controversy
On December 2009, Tiwari, had to resign from the post of the governor of Andhra Pradesh after a local news channel aired a video of him allegedly in a compromising position with three women. However, Tiwari had rubbished the video and reports against him as "fabricated and false" and had said that he would continue to be in public life.

'He was in touch with us'
Speaking to MiD Day, Rohit's mother Ujjwala Sharma said that Tiwari always wanted to be seen as a clean politician in public. "In the court, he insisted that after 2002 he was never in touch with us. This is completely false. He was very much in contact with us and kept visiting us now and then. I have got pictures to substantiate my claims and have presented the same in the court. All the pictures were taken between 2002 and 2005. After today's decision by the apex court, I am optimistic about the final outcome of the case."