Jethmalani says won’t charge to be Kejri’s counsel, CM defends payment

Noted advocate Ram Jethmalani on Tuesday said that he will defend Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the defamation case slapped on him by finance minister Arun Jaitley for free if the Delhi chief minister cannot afford to pay him.

Though Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia defended the government’s decision, Jethmalani said he charges only the rich and would now treat Kejriwal as “one of his poor clients and appear for him free”.

“I will defend him even if he can’t pay, but he said ‘no, I want to pay, send us the bills, so I have sent the bills. Even if the government does not support him, I will,” Jethmalani said.

The comment came amid a raging controversy over the Aam Aadmi Party government’s move to pay a hefty sum to lawyer Ram Jethmalani for representing Kejriwal in court in a defamation case filed against him by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley.

The bills raised by Jethmalani on December 1, 2016, reportedly quote ₹1 crore retainership for representing Kejriwal and an additional ₹22 lakh per appearance. Jethmalani has made 11 appearances so far, leading to a total of ₹3.42 crore. In December, Sisodia asked the general administration department for Jethmalani’s fee. However, the law department said the bills could not be cleared without the nod of the lieutenant governor. The decision is now pending approval from L-G Anil Baijal.

Defending the state government’s decision, Sisodia said it should be bearing the cost as the defamation case is related to the ‘inquiry initiated by the state government against the corruption in Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA)”.