SAD DEMISE OF THE BEST LAWYER OF THE CENTURY- SHRI RAM JETHMALANI SIR
Heartfelt condolence to the family and nation for the loss of one of the best lawyer of this century. INBA is deeply saddened by the demise of our patronage, Shri Ram Jethmalani, the significant lawyer, an inspiration and extraordinary leader of the nation.
Today, on the 8th of September 2019, we have lost not only an exceptional lawyer and our former Union law minister but also a man who was witty and had all the courage to express his views without shying away from anybody. Ram Boolchand Jethmalani, an iconic public figure, full of life made huge contributions both, in Court and in the Parliament. Ram Jethmalani had an outstanding career as he was one of the finest senior advocates the bar could ever have, he handled some of the most sensational cases and was there in most of the big criminal appeals and constitutional cases.
Ram Jethmalani, passed away today morning at 7:45 am at his official residence in New Delhi, he was 95 years old and was on round the clock medical help for the last past two weeks. He was born on September 14, 1923 in Sikharpur of the Sindh province and became a lawyer at the young age of 18. He had previously got a double promotion at school and completed his matriculation at 13 years of age and secured an LLB degree at the age of 17. In those times, an individual could only become a lawyer after 21 years of age but under special resolutions, Ram Jethmalani was allowed to become a lawyer at 18.
Mr. Ram Jethmalani, a maverick lawyer, for the first time came into the limelight after he fought a case- K.M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra where he was assisting the prosecution, this case also pitted the Parsi and Sindhi communities in the city against each other. He courted several controversies and was known for his sharp comments and was also a Rajya Sabha Member from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). He served as the law and urban development minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and even then, he was very confident with his words even if he had to criticize his own party. In 2004, he contested against Vajpayee from Lucknow in the Lok Sabha elections and was also elected as a member of Parliament in the 6th and 7th Lok Sabha on a Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) ticket from Mumbai. Ram Jethmalani became a defence attorney for those who had to fight grave crimes. In 2010, he was appointed as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. He also had a pivotal role in defending the assassins of Indira Gandhi and later her son, Rajiv Gandhi. He also defended the allegedly accused stock market scammers- Harshad Mehta and Ketan Mehta.
Recently, he had also fought the case of Afzal Guru and Manu Sharma as the duo was accused for the Parliament attack. Moreover, he had also represented Manu Sharma in the Jessica Lall murder case. Jethmalani also took on the then Prime Minister (PM), Rajiv Gandhi for his role in the Bofors gun deal controversy by targeting him with a series of questions pertaining to his involvement in the deal. The then PM had brushed off all the accusations by stating that he does not like to pay attention to every barking dog, to this Jethmalani replied that a dog barks only at a thief. Ram Jethmalani was also involved in fighting the case of the fodder scam where RJD Chief- Lalu Prasad was alleged to be the key conspirator. Jethmalani also represented Kanimozhi, daughter of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Karunanidhi, in the 2G scam case; Jayalalitha’s defence in disproportionate assets case and L.K Advani’s defence in hawala case.
In conclusion, Ram Jethmalani had a commendable judicial career, every law aspirant wants to be like him, from handling trials like him to targeting oppositions with witty and striking comments. Today, the country has lost a precious gem. We have not only lost a stalwart but also a nonconformist. He had a personality that stood out, no one could ever be like him, imbibing any of his qualities will always be tough for any of us, he was that powerful and influential. He was feisty and got threatened by nothing. He defended parties that any usual advocate would dread to do. He practiced the unconventional way of fighting his cases as he did not believe in being a part of the mainstream. He is an inspiration to people who want to pursue their law careers and to everyone else who thinks of being different from the usual because it is very easy to do something everyone agrees on doing, but it takes real courage to straightaway cut to the chase without shying away from a path that seems troublesome, and a person like Ram Jethmalani had that audacity to take that step and initiate all acts of valour.
The country can never forget Jethmalani sir’s contribution towards law, courts and justice as he was an inspiration for all the legal professionals and it’s an irreparable loss for Indian National Bar Association (INBA) as he was a source of consistent guidance and support for us and has always mentored INBA to grow.
By-
Arpita Varma
Student Reporter, INBA
Edited by-
Tanishka Grover
Chair, Reporters’ Committee, INBA