Ram Jethmalani quits as Arvind Kejriwal's counsel, asks Delhi CM to clear dues of Rs 2 crore

New Delhi: Senior Supreme Court lawyer Ram Jethmalani has quit as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's counsel in the civil defamation suits filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Jethmalani's decision came after the Aam Aadmi Party chief on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that there was no instruction from him to his counsel Jethmalani to use objectionable remarks against Arun Jaitley in the defamation case filed by the Union Minister.

Jethmalani had used the word "crook" against the Finance Minister during his cross-examination before a Joint Registrar saying that he used the word on instruction from Kejriwal.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief also said that he has written a letter to Jethmalani to refute his claim that objectionable words were used in the proceedings before the Joint Registrar on May 17 as per his instructions.

In his affidavit, Kejriwal said it was "inconceivable that he would even think of instructing the senior counsel to use such objectionable words."

The lawyer has also written a letter to the Delhi CM asking him to clear his legal fees amounting to Rs 2 crore.

Interestingly, in view of the controversy surrounding Arvind Kejriwal's move to make the taxpayer to foot his legal bills of Rs 3.42 crore for defamation cases filed against him by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, his lawyer Ram Jethmalani had earlier said that he is willing to fight the case for free if the Delhi CM can't pay the bills.

Accepting that he had sent bills for Rs 1 crore in retainership and Rs 22 lakh for each appearance in court to the Delhi CM, Jethmalani said, “Everyone in the country knows that I charge only the rich and I work for free for the poor. And 90% of my clients are poor.”

“If he (Arvind Kejriwal) can't pay bills then also I will appear for him – and treat him as a poor client,” he had said.

In December 2015, Jaitley had filed a civil defamation suit against Kejriwal and AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpayee, claiming that they made "false and defamatory" statements in the case involving the DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

A fresh Rs 10 crore defamation suit was also filed by Jaitley against Kejriwal over his lawyer Jethmalani using the word "crook" during cross-examination of the previous defamation suit.

Jaitley, in the second civil defamation suit against Kejriwal, claimed the objectionable words caused him "permanent harm and disrepute".