AAP government in Delhi has defended its decision to pay from the state exchequer the fees of senior advocate Ram Jethmalani on Tuesday. Jethmalani is handling the defamation case filed by none other than union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley against CM Arvind Kejriwal in the court.
After much controversy over the fees of the noted lawyer, the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the government should be bearing the cost since the case is linked to the ‘inquiry initiated by the state government against the alleged corruption in Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA).
“The government had initiated the inquiry against corruption in DDCA. People, who are involved in it, have filed the (defamation) case. Why should Arvind Kejriwal pay the bills in the personal capacity?” asked Sisodia.
Although he refused to take any questions on the matter, he questioned the timing of raising the issue. “It was aimed at diverting attention from the controversy surrounding EVM tampering,” he said.
Recently, the Delhi government sought lieutenant governor Anil Baijal’s consent to allegedly pay nearly Rs 3 crore for the bills raised by Jethmalani for defending Kejriwal.
Post the controversy, Jethmalani, on the other hand, said he won’t charge Kejriwal and provide assistance free of cost if he can’t pay.
