Defamation case: Jethmalani alleges CM Arvind Kejriwal used worse 'abuses' than 'crook' for Arun Jaitley

Ram Jethmalani and Arvind Kejriwal's war on use of 'objectional words' against Arun Jaitley appears to have taken another twist with the Senior Supreme Court lawyer alleging that the Delhi Chief Minister had “used worse abuses” than a mere 'crook' for the minister.

“When Arun Jaitley filed the first suit and criminal case, you naturally sought my services. Ask your conscience how many times you used worse abuses than a mere ‘crook’. You have hundred times asked me to teach this crook a lesson,” the lawyer said in a letter that he wrote to Kejriwalon July 20, a copy of which was uploaded on his blog.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had told the Delhi High Court that he had not asked Jethmalani to use objectionable words against Jaitley.

“That with due respect, it is submitted that neither the answering defendant nor the counsel briefing the senior counsel gave instructions to the learned senior counsel to use the objectionable words… The answering defendant vide letter July 19, 2017 has conveyed to the senior counsel directly that no instructions to use objectionable words were ever given by him at any point of time to the learned senior counsel,” Kejriwal told the court in his reply to an application filed by Jaitley.

Arun Jaitley has filed defamation cases against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leaders Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai after they accused him of corruption in Delhi Districts Cricket Association (DDCA).
Jaitley was president of DDCA from the year 2000 to 2013.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday slapped Rs. 10,000 fine on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after he failed to file a response to the second defamation suit filed by Union Minister Arun Jaitley against him.

However, the High Court Thursday asked Kejriwal to refrain from asking the Union Minister indecent questions and from using words like “crook”, which it said was “indecent, scandalous and abusive”. 

Jethmalani’s letter also referred to Kejriwal’s letter to him and said, “If you think Jaitley will withdraw the suit on seeing this letter to me, do by any means settle with him. I will bear the consequences.”

On Kejriwal's denial of never instructing Jethmalani to use objectional words against Arun Jaitley during hearing of case on May 17, Jethmalani accused Kejriwal of lying.

"He lied that he did not give me instructions, fact is he did", Jethmalani further added.

He has also asked AAP leader to settle his legal fees amounting to more than Rs 2 crore. The lawyer used an offensive word, amounting to accusing Jaitley of being a criminal, during proceedings of the Rs 10-crore defamation case against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders.
Jaitley questioned Jethmalani if the word was spoken on his client's instruction. The lawyer's affirmative reply made Jaitley filed another Rs 10-crore defamation suit against the CM.

Earlier this week Jethmalani had quit as Kejriwal’s counsel in the civil defamation case.

At the time, he had said, “The reason behind this is that he has spoken a lie. He has gone and said that he has not given me any instructions. He had given me instructions, I had recorded it… I have told him that I am no longer appearing. He doesn’t want a lawyer now, probably will settle with Arun Jaitley. ” Jethmalani’s office had added that a communication has been sent to Kejriwal to settle the dues, amounting to over Rs 2 crore, which the CM owes him.