Ram Jethmalani in the dock for his remarks over minor rape victim

mangaloretoday.com

LUCKNOW, Sept 19: Senior criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani may be in trouble over his remarks on a minor rape victim, while defending his client, Asaram Bapu.

Jethmalani had said that the minor rape victim, allegedly sexually assaulted by Asaram, suffers a disease that draws her to men, in an attempt to blow a hole in the prosecutor’s claims that she was raped by the self-styled godman.

 

Taking a strong objection to the lawyer’s remark, UP Cadre IPS officer Amitabh Thakur on Wednesday sent a complaint to the National Commission for Women (NCW).

Requesting the NCW to enquire into the matter and initiate legal proceedings against Jethmalani, Thakur said that this statement is insulting and derogatory against the young girl of 16, facing the worst trauma of her life and for the dignity of the entire womanhood in general, considering the social position of Jethmalani and the weight that his words command.

While appealing to the NCW to look into the "extremely important" matter, Thakur wrote in the letter:

   " While Sri Jethmalani, an elderly man in his 90s and an extremely well-known lawyer, has all the right to defend his clients with all the force, voracity and strength, he has no right to make a comment/statement or allegation without any basis, against a poor and helpless girl, who came forth to register an FIR against a very powerful person, who Sri Jethmalani is presently defending.

    No ethics, morality and societal code would give Sri Jethmalani a right to make such unsubstantiated allegations without adequate reasons, just to score certain points for his client."


Jethmalani faces public ire on Twitter
 
Jethmalani’s argument might have bought time from the court till the next hearing but drew spontaneous angry reactions on the social networking site, Twitter. Various commentators lashed out at the senior lawyer for his remarks that the ’minor victim had a disease that drew her to men’.
 
"Ram Jethmalani has become mentally unstable due to old age!" said @AbhinitaMohanty while @Satendra31May tweeted, "Ram Jethmalani has truly mastered the art of defending the indefensible."
 
@navneet2frn said, "Ram Jethmalani is the Devil’s advocate in real sense" on the social networking site.
 
@atulkasbekar said, "Genuinely appalled that a very senior counsel like Ram Jethmalani can make a statement as degenerate as that one! What disease is this Dr J?"