bill of over Rs 3.5 crore for defending Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal

case filed against him by finance minister Arun Jaitley

If Kejriwal tomorrow says he cannot afford my fee, I will still do his case.

Ram Jethmalani offers to defend Arvind Kejriwal for 'free'

NEW DELHI: Making light of hisin a criminal defamation case, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani said he had given a concession to the Delhi chief minister."As a matter of fact, I have given a concession to Kejriwal while defending him in the criminal defamation case. I have not asked for the retainer fee I normally charge my other clients. I have also reduced the fee for each appearance in court. Moreover, I have not charged him a penny for the elaborate conferences prior to each hearing in the trial court," Jethmalani told TOI.Jethmalani had charged Kejriwal Rs 1 crore as retainer fee and Rs 22 lakh per hearing in the. Conference fees charged by senior lawyers are almost as much as what they get for their appearance in court.Asked why he charged legal fees from Kejriwal despite declaring that he would do the case pro bono, Jethmalani said, "I charge fee to only those who can afford it. I fix it depending on the client's capacity to pay.Jethmalani said he had fought cases for free in the past. “I had successfully argued on behalf of L K Advani and got the chargesheet against him in the hawala case quashed. I did not charge a penny from him as his wife was my rakhi sister. I had also argued free of cost for Amit Shah and got him relief in a murder case,“ he said.“So it all depends on what I charge and from whom,“ Jethmalani said and referred to the petitions filed by Bal Thackeray and many Shiv Sena MLAs who were sought to be disqualified because they had used “Hindutva“ in their election speeches.“In my entire career as a lawyer, that was one of the most satisfactory cases. The Supreme Court in its verdict had clarified that Hindutva was a way of life and had no link to Hindu religion and hence invoking Hindutva was not an appeal on religious lines to attract disqualification of a candidate,“ the 92-year-old lawyer said, sporting a proud smile.During the conversation, he repeatedly mentioned that he was in the “departure lounge of God“ and regretted that the Narendra Modi government, despite its election-eve promise in 2014 to bring back black money from abroad, had not done anything. “I have no personal ambitions to achieve except to work to save the nation from these calamities,“ he added.Asked whether Kejriwal too faltered in keeping election promises, Jethmalani said, “Ultimately, he may fail. But he is not a corrupt man like many in the present government.“On the recent SC judgment banning the sale of liquor close to highways, Jethmalani said he had doubts about the efficacy of the order. “The trouble is, prohibition has been a favourite topic for Indian politicians starting from Morarji Bhai (ex-PM Morarji Desai). It is true that a lot of accidents are caused by drunk driving. But whether or not restraining the sale of liquor in vends, hotels and restaurants near highways is a justifiable decision, I frankly do not know though I have grave doubts about it.“