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Ram

Jethmalani
Ram Boolchand Jethmalani (born 14 September 1923) is an
Indian lawyer and politician. He has served as India's Union
Ram Jethmalani
Law Minister and as chairman of the Bar Council of India. He
has represented a sweep of cases from the high-profile to the
controversial for which he has often faced severe criticism. He
is the highest-paid Indian lawyer.[2]

Ram Jethmalani obtained LL.B.degree at the age of 17[3]and


started practising law in his hometown (in today's Pakistan)
until the partition of India. He married Durga Jethmalani and
later, his second wife, Ratna Jethmalani. The partition led him
to move to Mumbai as a refugee and he began his life afresh
with his family. He has two sons and two daughters, of whom,
Mahesh Jethmalani and Rani Jethmalani are also well-known
lawyers.. He announced his retirement from judicial profession
on 10th September 2017. Parvati came to his life at the age
of 90.

Member of the Rajya Sabha


He was elected a member of parliament in the 6th and 7th
Lok Sabha on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from Incumbent
Mumbai. He has served as Law Minister of India and also as Assumed office
Minister of Urban Development during the prime ministership 8 July 2016
o f Atal Bihari Vajpayee against whom he later contested Preceded by Gulam Rasool
election in the general elections of 2004 from Lucknow Balyawi, JD(U)
constituency. However, in 2010 he came back to BJP and was
Constituency Bihar
elected to Rajya Sabha on its ticket from Rajasthan. He has
been criticised as being opportunistic because of this.[4] In office
5 July 2010 – 4 July 2016
Jethmalani is a well known face amongst the legal community Constituency Rajasthan
in India. Even though his forte lies in criminal law, he has
Minister of Law and Justice
appeared in many high-profile civil cases. From 1993 to 1998,
he was one of the lawyers who represented Harshad Mehta
In office
during the Harshad Mehta scam and the Narasimha Rao
June 1999 – July 2000
bribery case.[5] On 7 May 2010 he was elected as the Prime Minister Atal Bihari
president of Supreme Court Bar Association.[6][7] Vajpayee
Preceded by M. Thambidurai
Succeeded by Arun Jaitley
Minister of Urban Development
In office
19 March 1998 – 14 June 1999
Contents Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee
Personal
Minister of Law and Justice
As a lawyer
In office
Politics 16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996
Expulsion from the party
Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Defence of high-profile cases
Vajpayee
Awards and achievements
Personal details
Books
Born 14 September
See also 1923
References Shikharpur,
External links Bombay
Presidency, British
India
(now in Sindh,

Personal Pakistan)
Political party Bharatiya Janata
Ram Jethmalani was born in Shikarpur, Sindh in the Sindh
Party (till 2013)
division of the then Bombay Presidency, now part of Pakistan
Rashtriya Janata
in the family of Boolchand Gurmukhdas Jethmalani and Parbati
Dal (2016–)
Boolchand.[8] He got a double promotion in school and
completed matriculation at the age of 13. He secured an LLB Spouse(s) Ratna Jethmalani
degree from Bombay University with a first class first at the Durga Jethmalani
young age of 17. At that time, the minimum age for becoming Residence 2, Akbar Road,
a lawyer was 21, but a special exception (resulting from an New Delhi, India[1]
application that he made to the court contesting the rule Alma mater S.C. Shahani Law
regarding minimum age) allowed him to become a lawyer at College, Karachi-
18. He received LL.M. from Bombay university , since Sindh University of
did not have a university of its own at that time.[1] Bombay

Ram Jethmalani was married at an age of little above 18, to Profession Lawyer, Jurist,
Durga, in a traditional Indian arranged marriage. In 1947, just Professor of Law,
before partition, he also married Ratna Shahani, a lawyer by Politician,
profession.His family today includes both wives and four Entrepreneur,
children – three by Durga (Rani, Shobha, Mahesh) and one by Philanthropist
Ratna (Janak)[9][10] Website www
.ramjethmalanimp
As a lawyer .in (http://www.ram
jethmalanimp.in)
Ram Jethmalani started his career as a lawyer and Professor in
Sindh before partition.[11] He started his own law firm in Karachi with his friend A.K. Brohi who was
senior to him by seven years.[9] In February 1948, when riots broke out in Karachi, he fled to India on
the advice of his friend Brohi and when he came to India in that day he has only a one paisa coin in his
pocket and with that note he stayed in the refugee camp for few days.

Jethmalani fought his very first case at the age of 17 in the court of Sindh under Justice Godfrey Davis,
contesting the rule regarding minimum age passed by the bar council of Sindh. In a talk at Algebra in
June 2017, Jethmalani recounted his very first case fought in India as a refugee. A new law (Bombay
refugees act) that had just been passed by the then chief minister Morarji Desai treated refugees
badly and in an inhumane manner. The act treated refugees in a manner similar to convicted
prisoners, allowing the state to relocate, sequester and question them anytime. Jethmalani file a case
against this at the Bombay high court, asking the law to be declared unconstitutional and won it.[12]

Ram Jethmalani next came to the spot light a decade later with his appearance in the K. M. Nanavati
vs. State of Maharashtra case in 1959 with Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud , later to become Chief
Justice of India. His later defence of a string of smugglers in the late 1960s established Jethmalani’s
image as a 'smuggler’s lawyer'. Even back then, he would point out that he was only doing his duty as
a lawyer.[13]

In 1954, he became a part-time Professor at the Government Law College, Mumbai for both graduate
and post graduate studies. He also taught Comparative law at International Law at Wayne State
University in Detroit, Michigan.[11] He has also been the Chairman of Bar Council of India for four
tenures both before and after the emergency. He was also a member of International Bar Association
1996.He has also been Professor Emeritus at Symbiosis Law School, Pune since 2003.

Politics
Jethmalani contested as an independent candidate from Ulhasnagar supported both by the Shiv Sena
and Bharatiya Jan Sangh but he lost the elections.[9] During the emergency period of 1975–1977, he
was the chairman of the Bar Association of India. He heavily criticised the then Prime Minister of India,
Indira Gandhi. An arrest warrant was issued against him from Kerala. It was stayed by the Bombay
High Court when over 300 lawyers led by Nani Palkhivala appeared for him. However the stay was
nullified by the habeas corpus judgment Additional District Magistrate of Jabalpur v. Shiv Kant
Shukla[14] and Ram Jethmalani exiled himself in Canada carrying on his campaign against the
emergency. He returned 10 months later after the emergency was lifted. While in Canada, his
candidature was filed from Bombay North-West constituency . He won the election and retained the
seat in 1980 general elections, but lost to Sunil Dutt of the Indian National Congress in 1985. In the
1977 general elections after the emergency, he ousted the serving Law Minister H. R. Gokhale from
Bombay in the Lok Sabha elections and hence started his political career as a parliamentarian.[9]
However he was not made law minister himself as Morarji Desai disapproved of his lifestyle.[13]

He became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1988. He became The Union Minister of Law, Justice and
Company Affairs in 1996 in the Government of India led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. During the second
tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he was given the portfolio of Union Minister of Urban Affairs and
Employment in 1998. But on 13 October 1999 he was again sworn in as the Union Minister for Law,
Justice and Company Affairs. However he was asked to resign by the prime minister following
differences with the then Chief Justice of India Adarsh Sein Anand and Attorney General of India Soli
Sorabjee. It is believed that Jethmalani never enjoyed the confidence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee. He was inducted into the Cabinet on Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani's insistence.[15]

He had also announced his candidature for President of India stating "I owe it to the nation to offer my
services" and launched his own political fronts, the Bharat Mukti Morcha, launched as a 'mass
movement' in 1987 and in 1995 he launched his own political party called Pavitra Hindustan
Kazhagam, with a motto to achieve "Transparency in functioning of Indian Democracy".[13]
In the general elections of 2004, he contested against Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the Lucknow
constituency as an independent candidate. The Indian National Congress did not field their candidates
in this election; however, he lost. Later on, in 2010, he was given a Rajya Sabha ticket by Bharatiya
Janta Party from Rajasthan and he was selected. He is also a member of the Committee on Personnel,
Public Grievances, Law and Justice.[1] Jethmalani[16] is a person who is known to speak his mind. At a
reception[17] hosted by the Pakistan High Commission for the Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani
Khar who was on a visit to India on 28 July 2011, the former law minister and Rajya Sabha MP Ram
Jethmalani in the presence of the Chinese ambassador called China an enemy of both India and
Pakistan and warned the Indians and Pakistanis to beware[18] of the Chinese.

In December 2009, the Committee on Judicial Accountability stated that it considered that
recommendations for judicial appointments should only be made after a public debate, including
review by members of the bar of the affected high courts. This statement was made in relation to
controversy about the appointments of justices C. K. Prasad and P. D. Dinakaran . The statement was
signed by Jethmalani, Shanti Bhushan, Fali Sam Nariman, Anil B. Divan, Kamini Jaiswal and Prashant
Bhushan.[19]

Expulsion from the party


In 2012, Jethmalani wrote to then Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari, accusing
opposition BJP leaders of being "silent against the huge corruption" within the ruling UPA-II
government, and stated that BJP "is sick".[20] Jethmalani's letter[21] became public on the Internet,
and in May 2013, BJP expelled Jethmalani from the party for six years, for having made anti-party
statements.[22] In October 2013, defamation charges were framed against BJP seeking ₹50 lakh
(US$70,000) as "null and void and damages" for making a statement that he was not a fit person to
be member of the party.[23][21]

Defence of high-profile cases


He has a number of high-profile defence cases to his credit as a lawyer – people involved in market
scams (Harshad Mehta and Ketan Parekh ), and a host of gangsters and smugglers including the
British citizen Daisy Angus who was acquitted of hashish smuggling after serving five years in jail. He
also defended L. K. Advani in the Hawala scam. He was in the news for taking up the defence of Manu
Sharma, prime accused in the Jessica Lall murder case; however, he failed to get Manu Sharma
acquitted. He is going to be defending Lalit Modi – former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman and
commissioner.[24][25][26][27]

Defence of Rajiv Gandhi's killers in Madras High Court in 2011


Defended Indira Gandhi's killers, and challenged the medical evidence (PMR) given by T D Dogra on Indira
Gandhi. [28]
Harshad Mehta's defence in stock market scam
Ketan Parekh's defence in stock market scam
Underworld don Haji Mastan
Defended death sentence of Afzal Guru (Jethmalani in his interview with Rajat Sharma in August 2013 said
that he never took up the case of Afzal Guru)
L K Advani's defence in Hawala scandal
Manu Sharma's defence in Jessica Lall murder case
Amit Shah's (Gujarat's former Minister of State for Home) defence in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
Amit Jogi's defence (son of Ajit Jogi) in the case of Jaggi murder
Sanjay Chandra bail in Supreme Court in 2G case
Kulbhushan Parashar Bail in Navy War Room leak case
Kanimozhi's defence in 2G spectrum case
Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy's special leave petition on stay for CBI probe on money laundering in his
companies
Yeddyurappa's case on illegal mining scam[29]
A. G. Perarivalan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan and Sriharan alias Murugan – convicted in the Rajiv
Gandhi assassination case
Ramdev's defence on use of force on the followers of Baba Ramdev at Ramlila grounds on 4 June 2011[30]
Shiv Sena's defence in CPI MLA Krishna Desai murder case
Asaram Bapu's defence in Jodhpur sexual assault case
Lalu Prasad Yadav's defence in The Supreme Court of India bail was convicted in the fodder scam case on
13 December 2013.
Subrata Roy in Sahara-SEBI case
AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa, who had been convicted in the disproportionate assets case, in the Karnataka
High Court [31]
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in defamation case filed by Arun Jaitley [32][33]

On 9th September 2017 he announced his retirement from the legal profession.[34]

Awards and achievements


International Jurist Award[35]
World Peace Through Law Award
In 1977 he received Human Rights Award instituted by World Peace Through Law for his fight against
authoritarianism at Philippines. [11]

Books
Maverick: Unchanged, Unrepentant, Rupa Publications
Biography: Ram Jethmalani : The Authorized Biography by Nalini Gera
In April 2007 at the time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released one of his books titled Conscience of a
Maverick. [36]
Big Egos, Small Men, Har Anand Publications.
Conflict of Laws, 1956
Justice Soviet Style[37]
The Rebel: 'A biography of Ram Jethmalani' by Susan Adelman

See also
K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra

References
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3. "Ram Jethmalani's most candid interview on Modi, BJP and his sole ambition in life at 94}" (https://www.you
tube.com/watch?v=tHWCgTphpOY). youtube.com.
4. "Archived copy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110722171456/http://attorneylawyer.me/karan-thapar-ram-jet
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alani-and-m.l.-bhakta/1/306981.html). India Today. 14 June 1993. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
6. "Jethmalani new SCBA president" (http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/08/stories/2010050863661600.htm). The
Hindu. Chennai, India. 8 May 2010.
7. Legally India. "Breaking: Ram Jethmalani elected as SCBA president to repair damage done" (https://web.ar
chive.org/web/20100512175927/http://www.legallyindia.com/20100507792/The-Bar-and-Bench/breaking-ram-j
ethmalani-elected-as-scba-president-to-repair-damage-done). Archived from the original (http://www.legallyin
dia.com/20100507792/The-Bar-and-Bench/breaking-ram-jethmalani-elected-as-scba-president-to-repair-dama
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8. "Top most Indian Lawyer: Sindhi Genius Of Indian Law : Ram Jethmalani" (https://web.archive.org/web/2012
1227085059/http://www.thesindhuworld.com/ram_jethmalani.html). The Sindhu World. Archived from the
original (http://www.thesindhuworld.com/ram_jethmalani.html) on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 10 February
2013.
9. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi-times/Ram-Jethmalani-In-black-and-
white/articleshow/9580860.cms Ram Jethmalani: In black and white: Times New Network, 12 May 2002.
10. ‘I plead guilty to being a bad husband..’, "Tete-a-tete with Ram Jethmalani", The Telegraph, Calcutta. (http://
www.telegraphindia.com/1121125/jsp/7days/story_16236459.jsp)
11. "HugeDomains.com - RamJethmalani.com is for sale (Ram Jethmalani)" (http://www.ramjethmalani.com/abo
ut_us.php).
12. [www.youtube.com "Ram jethmalani's most candid interview - on Modi, BJP and his sole ambition in life at
94 (29 June 2017)"] Check |url= value (help). You tube - algebra channel. ALGEBRA conversations.
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13. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Devil-s-advocate-Jethmalani/Article1-171537.aspx Devil?s advocate:
Jethmalani
14. (Additional District Magistrate of Jabalpur v. Shiv Kant Shukla) (http://openarchive.in/judis/5622.htm)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070927214020/http://openarchive.in/judis/5622.htm) 27 September
2007 at the Wayback Machine
15. "The Wrath of Ram: India Today" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101124052414/http://india-today.com/itoda
y/20000807/cover.html). Archived from the original (http://www.india-today.com/itoday/20000807/cover.html)
on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
16. Ram Jethmalani (http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/time-has-come-to-recognise-that-china-is-a-men
ace%7C2) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120701012615/http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysi
s/time-has-come-to-recognise-that-china-is-a-menace%7C2) 1 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
17. "China your enemy: Jethmalani walks all over Pak's red carpet - Indian Express" (http://www.indianexpress.
com/news/china-your-enemy-jethmalani-walks-all-over-paks-red-carpet/823439/0). indianexpress.com.
Retrieved 26 December 2016.
18. Shubhajit Roy for The Indian Express, New Delhi, dated Thursday, 28 July 2011, 01:48 hrs
19. J. VENKATESAN (20 December 2009). "Promotions should be transparent: judicial accountability panel" (htt
p://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article67521.ece). The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
20. "Jethmalani writes to Gadkari, says BJP is sick", Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 26 May 2012 (http://www.hin
dustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Jethmalani-s-writes-Gadkari-says-BJP-is-sick/Article1-861724.aspx)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120628181433/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelh
i/Jethmalani-s-writes-Gadkari-says-BJP-is-sick/Article1-861724.aspx) 28 June 2012 at the Wayback
Machine
21. "Jethmalani Letter" (https://www.scribd.com/doc/110298496/Jethmalani-Letter). scribd.com. Retrieved
21. "Jethmalani Letter" (https://www.scribd.com/doc/110298496/Jethmalani-Letter). scribd.com. Retrieved
26 December 2016.
22. "Ram Jethmalani expelled from BJP for anti-party remarks" (http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/ram-jethmalan
i-expelled-from-bjp-for-anti-party-remarks-372301). NDTV. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
23. "Jethmalani seeks Rs. 50 lakh in damages from BJP" (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jethmalani-se
eks-rs-50-lakh-in-damages-from-bjp/article5300542.ece). The Hindu. 31 October 2013. Retrieved
1 November 2013.
24. "Manu Sharma convicted for Jessica murder" (http://www.indianexpress.com/story/18891.html).
25. Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRr5gBa-J8I) on YouTube
26. "Lalit Modi to move court against IPL governing council meeting" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/iplarticl
eshow/5845088.cms). The Times of India.
27. "The Hindu : Sena firm on opposing Jethmalani" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110606133030/http://www.hi
nduonnet.com/2003/01/05/stories/2003010502270800.htm). Archived from the original (http://www.hinduonne
t.com/2003/01/05/stories/2003010502270800.htm) on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
28. "Dr T D Dogra's expert evidence in trial of assassination of Indira Gandhi Prime Minister of India, Indian
Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Year : 2009, Volume : 7, Issue : 4, First page : (134)
Last page : (159), Print ISSN 0974-4487. Online ISSN 0973-1970" (http://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?t
arget=ijor:iijfmt&volume=7&issue=4&article=004). October 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
29. "- News18" (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/hegde-has-been-misled-ram-jethmalani/178740-60-115.html). News18.
30. A Vaidyanathan (21 November 2011). "Couldn't police wait till morning for crackdown? Supreme Court on
Ramdev camp" (http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/couldnt-police-wait-till-morning-for-crackdown-supreme-cou
rt-on-ramdev-camp-151794). NDTV.com.
31. Legal Correspondent. "Jethmalani to appear for Jayalalithaa" (http://www.thehindu.com/news/jethmalani-to-a
ppear-for-jayalalithaa/article6455202.ece). The Hindu.
32. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ram-jethmalani-arvind-kejriwal-arun-jaitley-defamation-case/1/1011008.html
33. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/jethmalani-quits-as-cms-counsel-seeks-rs-2-crore-
fee/articleshow/59765482.cms
34. Hindu, The. "Report of Shri Ram Jethmalani's retirement" (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ram-jethm
alani-retires-from-legal-profession-at-94/article19652549.ece). Retrieved 23 December 2017.
35. "HugeDomains.com - RamJethmalani.com is for sale (Ram Jethmalani)" (http://www.ramjethmalani.com/new
s.php?first=0). ramjethmalani.com. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
36. http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/08/stories/2010110856051100.htm Ram Jethmalani – 87 not out : The HIndu
37. Lok Sabha. "7th Lok Sabha – Members Bioprofile" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022658/http://164.
100.47.132/LssNew/biodata_1_12/545.htm). Loksabha, India. Archived from the original (http://164.100.47.1
32/LssNew/biodata_1_12/545.htm) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.

External links
Members BioProfile (https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022658/http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/biodata_1_
12/545.htm)
Rajya Sabha Member (http://164.100.47.5:8080/members/website/Mainweb.asp?mpcode=29)

Political offices

Preceded by Minister of Law and Justice Succeeded by


M. Thambi Durai June 1999 – July 2000 Arun Jaitley

Political offices
Minister of Urban Development
Preceded by Succeeded by
19 March 1998 – 14 June 1999

Political offices

Minister of Law and Justice Succeeded by


Preceded by
16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996 Arun Jaitley

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