Not a secret I dislike Jaitley, says Ram Jethmalani

New Delhi: Noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani on Tuesday said LK Advani won in the Hawala case because he had appeared for him but he will be prosecuting finance minister Arun Jaitley in the defamation case filed against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

He was replying to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi comparing the charges of corruption against Jaitley with the Hawala case faced by Advani in the nineties, in which he had come clear at the end.

"LK Advani had Ram Jethamalani (as his lawyer). Now Arun Jaitley is to be prosecuted by me. You take it," he said, adding, "I don't make secret of the fact that I don't like Arun Jaitley."

"All people commit mistakes," Jethmalani said when told that Jaitley, being a lawyer himself, has offered to be cross examined.

Asked whether he has got calls from BJP asking to keep away from the case, Jethmalani shot back, "what the hell do I care for BJP because at the instance of Arun Jaitley and his coterie I was expelled from the party. In spite of that, I helped Modi come to power."

To a query whether the Delhi government has powers to appoint a Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of Delhi's cricket body, DDCA, the noted lawyer said "I believe that sports and operations of the cricket body are completely within the jurisdiction of Delhi government," he said.