Will appear for free if my 'poor client' Arvind Kejriwal can't pay legal bills: Ram Jethmalani

Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders are facing trial in a criminal defamation case filed against them Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

New Delhi: 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, Tuesday, said that he is willing to fight the case for free if the Delhi CM can't pay the bills.

Jethmalani is defending Kejriwal in both a criminal and a civil defamation case filed by Jaitley in 2015. The Delhi CM had accused the Finance Minister, who is also a noted lawyer, of financial irregularities when he was president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association or DDCA. Jaitley has sought Rs. 10 crore in damages.

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 added.

Blaming Arun Jaitley for the controversy, he said, “All this is instigated by Arun Jaitley as he is afraid of my cross-examination.”

On March 25, Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders were put on trial in the said criminal defamation case.

The court notice against Kejriwal and other AAP leaders--Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha and Deepak Bajpai-- after they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.