india

Updated: Sep 08, 2019 10:37 IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday paid last respects to veteran lawyer Ram Jethmalani at the latter’s residence in the national capital.

Former Union Minister Jethmalani passed away this morning, just six days short of his 96th birthday.

Stating that he is deeply pained to know about the passing away of Jethmalani, Shah tweeted that “we have not only lost a distinguished lawyer but also a great human who was full of life”.

“Ram Jethmalani ji’s passing away is an irreparable loss to the entire legal community. He will always be remembered for his vast knowledge on legal affairs. My condolences to the bereaved family. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti,” he said in a tweet.

Jethmalani became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1988 and later served as the law minister and the urban development minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet. He was also appointed as the Chairman of Bar Council of India.

He was one of the highest-paid lawyers in the Supreme Court, Jethmalani, who had announced his retirement in September 2017, was known as a “doyen of criminal law” for fighting several high-profile cases from stockbroker Harshad Mehta to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, among others.

Jethmalani is survived by his son Mahesh Jethmalani and a daughter.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. )