"In the interest of the party, in his own interest, he should get out of the fray now and he must give the position to somebody who inspires greater confidence. He should not aspire for a second term," he said.
Jethmalani, who last week favoured declaration of Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial candidate in the next elections, said Gadkari's continuance weakens the party's position.
"Obviously, there is suspicion about his integrity and in the interest of the party and his own interest he must get out of this position.
"It weakens the party position. In the coming elections we are fighting against corruption and we have to have a man of absolute impeccable integrity," he told CNN-IBN when asked whether Gadkari should step down.
The eminent lawyer also said that he had no problem with businessmen entering politics but added that they should not make politics their business.
