Eminent lawyer and former Union law minister Ram Jethmalani passed away early on Sunday morning at his New Delhi residence. He was 95 years old.
Jethmalani, who served for many years in the Supreme Court, was suffering from prolonged illness. He is survived by his son, a well-known lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, and daughter who lives in the US. His other daughter Rani Jethmalani had pre-deceased him.
Born in Sikhapur of Sindh province on September 14, 1923, Ram Jethmalani was one of the highest-paid lawyers in the Supreme Court of India and had appeared in many high profile criminal cases. He had also served as India’s Union Law Minister was also the chairman of the president of Supreme Court Bar Association.
Widely respected as the doyen of criminal law, Jethmalani started his career as a lawyer and in Sindh before partition. He became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1988 and later went on to become the Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs in 1996 in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. He also held the portfolio of urban development in the NDA government.
