With the crucial MCD elections less than a week away, Delhi Chief Minister has landed himself in yet another controversy. According to media reports, the Delhi CM has sent his lawyer Ram Jethmalani's bills amounting to Rs 3.42 crores for clearance to Lt Governor Anil Baijal's office, hinting at a probable burden on the taxpayers in Delhi. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has filed a criminal defamation complaint against Kejriwal for allegedly defaming him in the Patiala House Court, while a civil defamation case was filed in the Delhi High Court.
Coming out in support of his client, country's top lawyer, however, told ANI on Tuesday, “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-Jethmalani.” He further stated that even now if the Delhi govt doesn't pay or Kejriwal can't pay, he will appear for free and will treat him as one of his poor clients.
Kejriwal had employed a string of lawyers, including Ram Jethmalani, who alone raised a bill of Rs 1 crore. According to a report in The Times Of India, the bill raised by Jethmalani on 1 December, 2016, quotes Rs 1 crore retainer for representing Kejriwal and an additional Rs 22 lakh per appearance. He has so far made 11 appearances, which totals to Rs 3.42 crore. In December, Sisodia had asked for releasing appearance fee to lawyer Ram Jethmalani, sources said.
Meanwhile, Lt Governor Anil Baijal has reportedly sought Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar's advice in clearing these legal 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. They further said that the amount of pending dues of Rs 3 crore to the noted lawyer and the Law Department had opinionated as to why should Delhi Government foot the bills when the case is nowhere related to the city administration.
Sources said that the Lt Governor is learnt to have written to Kumar seeking his advice on whether the payment should be cleared or not.
Raising brows over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s move to use taxpayers’ money to pay his lawyer’s fees in defamation case, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday criticized the former calling him a repeat offender who always uses public money for his own welfare.
“As far as Arvind Kejriwal is concerned he is a repeat offender. He has always used public money for his own welfare. Yet again we see in the criminal, civil defamation case filed against Kejriwal and some of the other AAP members by Arun Jaitley, a whopping sum of Rs.4 crore, in fact the lawyer (Ram Jhetmalani) fee that has been collected or rather a letter has been sent to the LG, that this amount be collected from the tax payers money,” BJP leader Sambit Patra told ANI.
He further questioned as to why the tax payer should pay for protecting Kejriwal, as whatever he had said against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was in individual capacity and not as Chief Minister. Jaitley had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Kejriwal and five other Aam Admi Party leaders for allegedly defaming him in the Patiala House Court, while a civil defamation case was filed in the Delhi High Court.
Jaitley had filed the suit seeking Rs.10 crore in damages after Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders accused him of alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), of which the former was the president for about 13 years until 2013.
(With agencies' inputs)