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Devil's Advocate: Ram Jethmalani
Published on Sun, Nov 19, 2006 at 20:45, Updated on Mon, Nov 20, 2006 at 01:07 in India section
Tags: Devils Advocate, Karan Thapar , Karan Thapar
Ram Jethmalani: You are being abusive and I am trying to be polite because you are sitting in my house. You have no right to abuse the interviewee either. You are using a language, which no interviewer should use. I would have turned you out of my house, but for the fact that you are my friend and guest.
Karan Thapar: Except for the fact that what I am asking is probably niggling you. I am saying that you choose cases and you choose clients to promote yourself.
Ram Jethmalani: I refuse to be needled by a person like you. You are too small to needle me, for God’s sake!
Karan Thapar: And in which case, why get angry? Why get upset? Why you lose temper?
Ram Jethmalani: I am not upset. I am giving you a reply to your silly questions.
Karan Thapar: All I am doing is being Devil’s Advocate. You are behaving as if you have got the devil in front of you. Calm down! Calm down!
Ram Jethmalani: Don’t expect me to calm down when you are crossing all limits of an interviewer.
Karan Thapar: Then let me cross one more. I want to talk to you about the manner in which you are defending Manu Sharma. Is it moral, fitting and proper that you should defend Manu Sharma by casting aspersions on the character of Jessica Lal, a woman who is dead and cannot defend herself.
Ram Jethmalani: I go by the record of the case. And please read this. I have not invented this. This is an exhibit number 47 upon DA at the trial. I am an appellate lawyer. I have not appeared in the trial court. Now, please read this to the viewers.
Karan Thapar: Mr Jethmalani, I am well aware of what you are showing me. You are showing me an article from The Pioneer dated May 5, 1999. Just because a newspaper published an allegation….
Ram Jethmalani: First you will have to tell your viewers the headline of this newspaper. Tell them that this is an exhibit and also tell them that the story which is now being attributed to me is a part of the record of the case from 1999.
Karan Thapar: Quite right. This headline, as you insist should be read out says, ‘Passion not liquor behind murder.’ The problem is this: neither the headline nor your reputation if it can be proven. You probably know that it is not true. Your casting aspersions by using it, and I am saying to you that in doing so, you are betraying your principles and your morality.
Ram Jethmalani: Who the hell are you to talk like this? Thapar, you are journalist and a television interviewer. What right have you assumed, this kind of importance, that you decide what can be proved and what can’t be proved? It is for the judges to decide after hearing me.
Karan Thapar: Let me put it like this. Jessica Lall is dead. She cannot defend herself and you have no compunction in flinging baseless acquisitions to malign her character. Do you realise that you are damaging a woman, who is innocent?
Ram Jethmalani: It’s unfortunate. In the first place I have not made any acquisitions against her character. Such an allegation was made by a colleague of mine.
Karan Thapar: You are repeating it. And by repeating it, you are giving it credence, you are giving it credibility and you are giving it popularity. Is that fair?
Ram Jethmalani: Please tell the people what I have said in that letter.
Karan Thapar: You are going back to a point that we have already done. Let me point out to you, as a criminal lawyer, you have every right to use every trick in the book. I put you a moral question. Are there no standards you won’t fall below?
Ram Jethmalani: First of all, please do not degrade the judicial system, by calling it a trick. It is not a trick of advocacy. It is a fair argument presented in open court to the judges for their appraisal.
Karan Thapar: Mr Jethmalani, I am asking you a simple question. Are there no standards that you set yourself, which you observe? Is there noLaxman-rekha your own personal morality demands that you respect? Will you do anything? Will you fall to any level?
Ram Jethmalani: I will not do anything, but I will do everything legitimate and honourable to defend my client. That is precisely what I am doing and you have no right to make comments upon what I am doing. That is a matter between the court and me.
Karan Thapar: You have no conscience about the fact that you have maligned the reputation of a dead woman, who can’t defend herself?
Ram Jethmalani: I am sorry. You can go on repeating it for a hundred times, if you like. I have cast no aspersions on her character. On the contrary, I have given her some character. I hope she deserves it.
Karan Thapar: You have given her some character you hope she deserves it?
Ram Jethmalani: Yes. You are the one who is now maligning her.
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Too good Karan. I wish if we can have few good people like you in politics too.
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Karan wants that no one defends a convict whom he thinks is a criminal. For fair judgment both parties have
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both the gentlemen had their views and they were able to justify it. but what i feel is that a
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A brilliant interview done.My country needs bold intrviewers like karn thapar.As suttle journalisim is gulped by the powerfull like nothing
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Sorry to say Karan Saheb, that you seem to have no respect for anyone %26 totally gone berserk with some
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