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Kejriwal Asked Me To Use Abusive Words Far Worse Than 'Crook', Says Ram Jethmalani In Letter To Jaitley

War of words.
Eminent lawyer and RJD MP Ram Jethmalani.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Eminent lawyer and RJD MP Ram Jethmalani.

The term 'crook' has led to a war of words between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior counsel Ram Jethmalani.

Jethmalani, who quit as Kejriwal's lawyer, has claimed that the Delhi CM had asked him to use derogatory words against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. An already upset Jethmalani who had told the court that Kejriwal had "lied" when he said he had not instructed his lawyer to use the word "crook" while cross examining Jaitley, has now written a letter.

"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," Jethmalani wrote in his letter to Kejriwal on July 20.

The copy of the letter has been published on his blog. Times Of India reports that Jethmalani has now sent the letter to the Finance Minister.

Kejriwal had accused Jaitley of complicity in the "DDCA scam", leading the latter to file a defamation suit seeking Rs 10 crore. The 'derogatory' word Jethmalani had used triggered the second Rs 10-crore defamation case against Kejriwal.

The Finance Minister alleged that he was being asked scandalous questions. Responding to that, the High Court asked Kejriwal to refrain from asking the Union Minister indecent questions and to stop using words like "crook". The court called it "indecent, scandalous and abusive".

However, Kejriwal denied instructing his lawyer to use the word 'crook'. In an affidavit, the Delhi CM told the court, "Neither the defendant (Kejriwal) nor the counsel (Anupam Srivastava) briefing the senior counsel (Jethmalani) gave instructions to the senior counsel to use the objectionable words on May 17, 2017."

Earlier this week, when Jethmalani quit as Kejriwal's lawyer, he 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."

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.