The on-going defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, being fought by senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, reportedly costs a whopping Rs 3 crore. The bill has sparked a controversy following reports that Kejriwal allegedly wants taxpayers to foot the steep bill.
Responding to the row, Ram Jethmalani said that he will defend Kejriwal for free if he can’t afford his legal fees. Jethmalani also alleged that the row was instigated by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and accused the Union minister of being afraid of his cross-questioning.
I charge only the rich but for poor I work for free. All this is instigated by Mr Jailtley who’s afraid of my cross-examination. Even now, if the Delhi government doesn’t pay or he can’t pay, I will appear for free, will treat him (Kejriwal) as one of my poor clients.
The case is related to a defamation suit filed by Jaitley against Kejriwal in 2016, pertaining to the Delhi CM’s allegations that the Union Minister was involved in financial irregularities during his tenure at the Delhi and District Cricket Association.
Lt Governor Anil Baijal is learnt to have sought Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar's advice in clearing the bills.
The move by Baijal comes after the Law Department of Delhi Government, responding to a note by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, said that LG’s permission for clearing the bills was necessary.
In December, Sisodia had asked for releasing appearance fee to noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani who has been fighting defamation case slapped against Kejriwal by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, sources said.
They said that the amount of pending dues to the noted lawyer is around Rs 3 crore and the Law Department had opinioned that why Delhi Government should foot the bills when the case is not related to the city adminstration.
(With inputs from PTI)
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