A look into the life of Ram Boolchand Jethmalani, who is considered as the greatest advocate in India's history. Here are some anecdotes from his life that made him a controversial personality.
Ram Boolchand Jethmalani, commonly known as Ram Jethmalani, is hands-down the most celebrated advocate in India's history. From serving as India's Union Minister of Law and Justice to being appointed as Chairman of the Indian Bar Council and being elected as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Ram Jethmalani achieved almost everything in his professional career.
Ram Jethmalani was born on September 14, 1923, in Shikarpur (now in Pakistan) to his parents, Boolchand Gurmukhdas Jethmalani and Parbati Boolchand. Right from an early age, he had seen financial constraints in his family, which fueled him to succeed in life. As a result, Ram Jethmalani studied hard, got a double promotion in school, and completed enrollment at the mere age of 13. By the time he turned 17, Ram Jethmalani had completed a bachelor's degree in law (LLB) from Bombay University and that too with a first-class distinction.
At that time, the minimum age to become a lawyer was 21, and Ram Jethmalani was told to wait four years to get his license for practice. It left the youngster furious, so he wrote an application to the Chief Justice of the Karachi High Court. Once, in an old interview with a publication, Ram Jethmalani revealed that when he appeared in front of the Chief Justice of the Karachi High Court, he shared how there was no rule regarding the minimum age for a license when he enrolled in advocacy. Recalling what he said to the Chief Justice, he said:
"I told the Chief Justice that when I enrolled in advocacy, there was no such rule that I could not be given a license before the age of 21. Therefore, this rule should not apply to me."
The Chief Justice was so impressed by his confidence that he told the Bar Council of India to make an exception for Ram Jethmalani and issue him the license next year when he turns 18. As per reports, it was the first and last time the Bar Council issued a license to practice to an 18-year-old lawyer. In the following years, Ram Jethmalani fought a series of iconic cases, including the 1959 Nanavati case, Balbir and Kehar Singh case, underworld don, Haji Mastan's case, stockbroker, Harshad Mehta's case, Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case, Jessica Lal's murder case, and many more.
Despite being one of the most successful lawyers ever, Ram Jethmalani also found himself at the centre of various controversies. One such controversial incident occurred at his 91st birthday party on September 14, 2014. From Bollywood superstars to renowned politicians and famous industrialists, it was a star-studded party. Among the guests, iconic actor, Dharmendra was also present at Ram Jethmalani's birthday party.
When the legendary actor, Dharmendra went on the stage and wished Ram Jethmalani on his birthday with a bouquet, the duo shook hands and hugged each other. However, as Dharmendra came close to Ram Jethmalani for a hug, the latter kissed him passionately. The incident shocked everyone, and the picture of that moment created a stir in Bollywood and Indian politics. None of them addressed their kiss in the media despite being questioned time and again after the incident.
According to several reports back in 2014, Ram Jethmalani had an alleged rift with the Bharatiya Janata Party. As a result, when Dharmendra came up on the stage, he kissed him to hurt the BJP's sentiments, as the veteran actor was a member of the political party. Well, these were just media speculations and assumptions by some industry experts back then, and the truth is known only to Ram Jethmalani, who never talked about it in the media.
A similar incident happened when the esteemed lawyer, Ram Jethmalani was invited to the Hum Log Awards on February 16, 2015. At the award ceremony, legendary singer, Kishore Kumar's fourth wife, Leena Chandavarkar was also in attendance. When Ram Jethmalani and Leena met, the duo hugged each other with a lot of warmth. However, things took a completely different turn when Ram Jethmalani and Leena Chandavarkar came close as they kissed, leaving everyone shocked.
Most people at the event started clapping as Ram Jethmalani and Leena Chandavarkar looked quite comfortable after their kiss. However, as soon as the pictures were published in the newspapers, Ram Jethmalani was bashed by the people. However, in that moment, it was Leena Chandavarkar, who came to his rescue and admitted that she allowed him to kiss her and it wasn't a forced kiss. Justifying her kiss with Ram Jethmalani, who is 27 years older than him, she said:
"People are feeling sorry for me, but all I want to tell them is that 'Na umar ki seema ho na pyaar ka koi bandhan. As far as the matter about me being Kishore Kumar's wife is concerned, I consider him my guru and he always said that don't think about what others think of you. If you have no regrets about doing something then everything else is immaterial."
It was on September 8, 2019, when Ram Jethmalani passed away at the age of 95 due to age-old related health problems. Courtesy of his work as a lawyer, Ram Jethmalani will always be remembered as one of the finest criminal lawyers in India's history, who feared no one. He still serves as an inspiration for so many young lawyers across the nation. Ram Jethmalani's first wife was Durga Jethmalani, and they gave birth to a son named Mahesh. After parting ways with Durga, he got married to Ratna R and welcomed three children, Rani, Shobha, and Janak.
What are your thoughts on Ram Jethmalani's career as a lawyer and his kiss with Dharmendra and Leena Chandavarkar? Let us know.
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