Ram Boolchand Jethmilani was an Indian Advocate and Politician who served as the Union Minister of Law and Justice in India. He was also appointed as the chairman of the Indian Bar Council and also as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of India. He was one one the finest personalities this country ever saw. Throughout his career, he was often caught up in the whirlwind of controversies but his talent as a criminal lawyer made him stand out and tall. His reputation of being a ray of sunshine for those who have lost hope earned Ram Jethmilani the title of “Enfant terrible” of the legal profession and the “Defender of the Indefensible”.
Ram Jethmalani & The Rule-Shattering Start of His Career
Ram Jethmilani was born on on the 14th of September 1923 in Shikarpur, Sindh which is now in Pakistan. Jethmiliani was exceptionally talented and earned himself a double and then a triple promotion in school which resulted in him graduating at a very early age. At the age of 17, Jethmilani obtained his degree in law from the Sahani College of Law in Karachi. As if fate had it planned for Ram, his very first case landed him in a controversy that marked the start of his iconic journey.
His first case as a lawyer was before the Sindh High Court where he had to defend his right to practice as a lawyer as a teen. When he applied to practice law, he was confronted with a ruler according to which he had to be at least 21 years old to practice law. He challenged the rule in the court and fought his case without assistance. In his defence, he was already admitted to the law college when the rule was formulated. Sir Godfrey Davis, impressed by his talent, made amendments to the rule and allowed him to apply under the newly introduced exception.
From practising law to having equal rights as a refugee who came from Pakistan to Bombay after partition, he had to fight for his way up in every aspect of his life. He challenged The Bombay Refugees Act, which was formulated to throw out people who migrated to India from Pakistan during Partition and won.
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Ram Jethmalani’s Personal Life
Ram married his first wife Durga following all the traditions at the age of 18. Just before partition, Ram married his second wife Ratna Shahani who was also a lawyer by profession. His family includes both his wives along with his four children. Three of his children namely Rani, Shobha, and Mahesh were from Durga, and the fourth son named Janak was from Ratna. His son Mahesh and daughter Rani have been lawyers in the Supreme Court of India. Mahesh is also an active BJP leader and Rani is a social activist. The Telugu and Tamil actress Kamna Jethmilani is a relative of Ram Jethmilani. Ram died on the 8th of September 2019 at the age of 95, six days before his birthday.
Ram Jethmalani and His Controversial Legal Career
The first battle that Jethmilani fought in India was against the Bombay Refugees Act which had him and his family transferred from one camp to another. The case was heard in the Bombay High Court against the inhumane treatment of the refugees. He successfully got the act declared unconstitutional by the court.
He was also tagged as a lawyer for rich people due to his many appearances in high-profile cases. When Jethmilani was in his sixties, he got the title of “Smuggler’s Lawyer” as he defended many smugglers including the infamous Haji Mastan. Ram was also able to get the charge sheet filed against Lal Krishna Advani in the Jain Hawala case cancelled.
He also defended Harshad Mehta in 1992 when he was caught up in the stock market scam, Amit Shah in the Sohrabbuddin Fake Encounter Case in 2005, and Manu Sharma who was the accused in the Jessica Lal Murder Case.
He had also appeared for the assassins of former Prime Minister Shreemati Indira Gandhi Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh which resulted in the acquittal of Satwant Singh and a death sentence for Kehar Singh. He then again appeared for the murders of another former PM Rajiv Gandhi. He also defended the death sentence delivered to the attackers of the parliament in the year 2001. Furthermore, he appeared for Asaram Bapu in the Jodhpur Sexual Assault case in 2013.
He was also among the group of 12 lawyers who challenged the emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in the year 1975. He was appointed as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association in 2010 and served as the chairman four times.
Ram Jethmalani and His Glorious Political Career
Jethmalani often openly expressed his concern over corruption and black money. The start of his political career was marked when he contested the elections as an independent candidate from Ulhasanagar with the support of political parties like Shiv Sena and BJP but he couldn’t win those elections. He formed his own parties namely Bharat Mukti Morcha in the year 1987 and the Pavitra Hindu Kazhagam in the year 1995 with the main objective of achieving transparency in the way democracy functions.
Jethmalani was a member of both houses of the Parliament and has also worked as a minister a couple of times. In the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he was appointed as the minister of law and Justice in the year 1996 and the Minister of Urban Affairs in the year 1998. He could not complete the tenure either of the times. He was expelled from the Bhartiya Janta Party for making anti-party statements.
The Books Authored by Ram Jethmalani
Jethmilani has authored many books including “Big Egos, Small Men”, “Conflict of Laws”, “Conscience of Maverick”, “Justice: Soviet Style”, and “Maverick: Unchanged, Unrepentant”. He also co-authored many legal scholarly books on law.
Ram Jethmalani’s Net Worth
Ram Jethmalani was one of the richest lawyers in India. According to the affidavit filed by him for elections in the year 2014, his net worth was Rs 64 Crores which includes moveable assets worth Rs 58 Crore and immovable assets worth Rs 6 Crore. Jethmalani used to charge up to Rs 25 lakh for a single appearance making one of the highest paid lawyers in India.
Conclusion
Due to Ram Jaithmilani’s appearances in all the sensitive cases, the public gave him the title of the “Devil’s Advocate” in the public. In an interview, he explained how a lawyer has to defend the person who has already told him that he is guilty because society has made it a rule that no one should be punished without adequate and convincing evidence. When the lawyer defends someone guilty he does not take an oath that his client has not committed the crime but simply proves that the evidences against him are not up to the standards. This statement of his showcased his integrity and deep understanding of his profession. He was never afraid of taking up weak cases and was a person who always spoke what was in his mind. His career lasted for over seven decades and has so much to inspire youngsters.