Jethmalani: Lawyer who took up high profile cases, lost causes

Noted lawyer Ram Boolchand Jethmalani, who passed away at the age of 95 here on Sunday morning, was famous for taking up high profile criminal cases.

Jethmalani's sharpness and brilliance as a lawyer was widely acknowledged and he continued to be among the best criminal lawyer even as he became a nonagenarian. Apart from his grip over criminal law and its philosophy, he was well-versed in constitutional law and could dissect any situation with clarity.

Jethmalani was born in Pakistan and moved to Mumbai after partition. He built a reputation as a lawyer appearing in several high profile criminal cases, often grabbing headlines for representing the people who were caught on the wrong side of the law.

 

Here are some of those cases which made Ram Jethmalani one of the top criminal lawyers of the country:

Jethmalani first came into the spotlight when he appeared for the prosecution in the infamous Nanavati murder case - a love-triangle in which a Navy officer, KM Nanavati, was tried for the murder of his wife's alleged lover.

One of the highest-paid lawyers in the country, Jethmalani was unfazed when it came to taking up the unpopular cause.

He defended former Delhi University (DU) lecturer Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, who was a suspect in the 2001 Parliament attacks by the Jaish-e-Mohammad.

He appeared for stock scamster Harshad Mehta, Manu Sharma who was an accused in Jessica Lal murder case, defended Balbir and Kehar Singh in the assassination case of Indira Gandhi and BJP leader LK Advani in a hawala case.

He represented those involved in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, defended Asaram Bapu in a sexual assault case, Tamil Nadu chief minister late J Jayalalithaa in a corruption case and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar's fodder scam case.

He also appeared in the infamous 2G spectrum and Karnataka mining controversy cases.

Jethmalani represented former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh in the cash-for-vote controversy and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the defamation suits filed by late BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

He had said in an interview that he decides according to his conscience as to whom to defend and that a lawyer who refuses to defend a person on the ground that people believe him to be guilty is himself guilty of professional misconduct.