New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Tuesday reserved its order on an application filed by Congress leader N.D. Tiw:ari refusing to give his blood sample for DNA test in a paternity suit filed by Rohit Shekhar, who claims to be Tiwari's biological son.

"In order to preserve, protect and defend my personal dignity attained by my long cherished service to the nation as well as society, I being a senior citizen too, I am not willing to give my blood sample for DNA testing. Hence, I may not be compelled to do so," Tiwari said in the affidavit filed earlier.

Taking a strong note of 85-year-old Tiwari's submission, Justice Gita Mittal said: "Serving the nation and being freedom fighter does not serve the plaintiff's purpose. Is it that a freedom fighter will not follow court's order."

The court said that the hearing on the main petition would be taken up Aug 16.

Tiwari's counsel Bahar-e-Barqui filed the affidavit on his behalf, denying that he was present in the photographs submitted by Shekhar, 31.

"I have been active in national and public life since the age of 17 years... I was elected as a member of the legislative assembly at the age of 28 in 1952," said Tiwari's affidavit.

"There must have been lakhs of photographs taken by thousand of persons belonging to innumerable types of strata, categories and classes at uncountable occasions. I am unable to recollect them even by seeing the photographs," said the affidavit.

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 the governor of Andhra Pradesh. A few days later, Tiwari resigned on health grounds