Ram Jethmalani to defend Kejriwal
Noted criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani will represent Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the civil and criminal defamation suits filed against him by finance minister Arun Jaitley.
The political slugfest over the Delhi’s cricket board intensified on Monday with the Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved setting up of one- member inquiry commission under former solicitor- general Gopal Subramanium to probe alleged irregularities in the DDCA. The Cabinet also decided to call a special session of Delhi Assembly on Tuesday to discuss alleged irregularities in the DDCA and last week’s CBI raid at the Delhi Secretariat.
“Delhi Cabinet resolves to set up commission of inquiry on DDCA scam. Special session of Assembly tomorrow to discuss DDCA scam and CBI raids on Delhi Secretariat,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted.
The AAP government on Sunday had announced setting up of a commission of inquiry to probe into alleged irregularities in the DDCA during Union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s tenure who was the board’s chief for 13 years. The government said that the commission under chairmanship of Mr Subramanium will probe alleged irregularities, including financial bunglings in the capital’s cricket body.
The decision came amid the AAP’s fierce attack on Mr Jaitley over alleged irregularities in DDCA during his 13- year tenure as its chief till 2013. “The inquiry will begin very soon,” a Delhi government spokesperson said.
With Mr Arun Jaitley filing civil and criminal cases against Mr Arvind Kejriwal, it was announced on Monday night that noted criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani will represent him in the defamation suits. “Ram Jethmalani will appear before court for chief minister Arvind Kejriwal,” a senior official of the chief minister’s office told PTI. The official said Mr Kejriwal will seek day- today hearing in the case.
Mr Jaitley strongly rubbished the allegations. “We will present a resolution in the House to approve setting up of the commission of inquiry,” said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
The AAP government is making the Assembly an arena of political games, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Leader in Assembly said on Monday.
Accusing the Kejriwal government of turning the Delhi Assembly into an arena of “political games,” Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta today charged that special session is called to “defame” the Centre and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley.
“The Kejriwal government has turned the Delhi Assembly into an arena of political games. The sole purpose of calling the special session tomorrow is to malign the Central government and the finance minister as much as possible,” he said.
The session has nothing to do with public interest issues and it will only discuss Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry against a senior official of the Delhi government and setting up of an inquiry committee to probe DDCA working, he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had tried to raise the so- called “corrupt practices” of the officer many times in Delhi Assembly but its efforts were thwarted.
The Delhi government persistently refused to discuss it, he added.