Prominent criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani passed away on Sunday morning. Jethmalani was undergoing treatments for age-related ailments.
Ram Jethmalani, veteran lawyer and former Union Law Minister, passed away on Sunday at the age of 96. He was cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium, in New Delhi on Sunday evening. Jethmalani’s health exacerbated over the last two weeks and he was being treated for age-related ailments.
Several politicians and senior lawyers visited the prominent lawyer’s residence in New Delhi to pay respects. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior BJP leader Subraminan Swamy visited Jethmalani’s residence. CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, RJD leaders Manoj Jha, Premchandra Gupta, former Justice Kurian Joseph , senior advovocate Gopal Subramanium, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and senior Advocate Soli Sorabji and Siddharth Luthra were also present.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences and said, “In the passing away of Shri Ram Jethmalani Ji, India has lost an exceptional lawyer and iconic public figure who made rich contributions both in the Court and Parliament. He was witty, courageous and never shied away from boldly expressing himself on any subject.” “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 further added.
Jethmalani’s career was defined by high-profile cases and his ability to confront some of the most powerful people in the country. He has been part of historic cases such as the famous multi-crore 2G allocation case.
Jethmalani is survived by his son Mahesh Jethmalani and his US-based daughter.
