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| Ram Jethmalani - one of India's tallest legal doyens | | | Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
With the passing
away of the Senior advocate, former politician and one of India's tallest legal doyens Ram Jethmalani, India has lost an exceptional lawyer and iconic public figure who made rich contributions both in the Court and Parliament. Jethmalani was known as a maverick lawyer with many distinctions to his credit, obtained a law degree at an early age of 17 and started practicing law in Karachi until the partition of India. He came to lime light with famous Nanavati case in 1959 with YV Chandrachud who later became India's chief justice. Chandrachud and Jethmalani appeared for the prosecution in the case where a Navy Commander Kawas Nanavati had shot his wife's lover, Prem Ahuja in cold blood. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977 and served two terms.
PM Modi has rightly said: "One of the best aspects of Shri Ram Jethmalani Ji was the ability to speak his mind. And, he did so without any fear. During the dark days of the Emergency, his fortitude and fight for public liberties will be remembered. Helping the needy was an integral part of his persona." He had been a lawyer for over seven decades and was involved in several high-profile cases.He had a unique style of arguing in Court. He had a larger-than-life persona about him that commands attention. Ram Jethmalani started his career as a lecturer in a Pakistani educational institution, before the partition. Then he started his own law firm with a friend, A.K. Brohi He had several high profile cases in his bucket and had defended several top politicians such as LK Advani, Lalu Prasad Yadav, J Jayalalithaa and Arvind Kejriwal.
In 1948, he moved to Mumbai after the Partition and started practising in the commercial capital of the country where he won a legal battle opposing the the Bombay Refugees Act which allowed the State to relocate, sequester and question refugees anytime. In the 1960's, Jethmalani appeared as a defense lawyer for a series of smugglers. This had a negative outcome on his public image and earned him the title of 'a smuggler's lawyer'. He was said to have disparaged Indira Gandhi for which an arrest warrant was issued. But the case was nullified as he won the overwhelming support of 300 other lawyers. He was a fighter who used to contest with tremendous energy, knowledge and logics not only in Courts but also in Parliament and public forums. He was one of the greatest lawyer of India endowed not only with merit but also with strong memory.
He is a well-known face amongst the legal community in India. Even though he is primarily known as only a criminal lawyer, he has appeared in many important cases concerning constitutional matters. On 7 May 2010, he was elected to be the President of Supreme Court Bar Association. He has been the recipient of prestigious awards such as International Jurist Award, World Peace Through Law Award and Human Rights Award by World Peace Through Law (1977) for his work in against fascism in Philippines.
The lawyers who worked with Jethmalani described him as a real champion of human rights. He launched a political front called Bharat Mukti Morcha in 1988 and a political party - 'Pavitra Hindustan Kazhagam' - in 1995, with a motto to achieve "transparency" in Indian democracy. He opposed the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government and the clamping of Maintenance of Internal Security Act.
In the words of the Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad , I would say " His brilliance, eloquence, powerful advocacy and sound understanding of law will remain a worthy example in legal profession. |
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