Legal experts condole Jaitley's demise, call him "crusader"

Eminent jurists on Saturday said that with the passing away of senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, the country has lost a legal luminary, an outstanding politician and a crusader who came to the help of all and never succumbed to any provocations.

Former solicitor general Ranjit Kumar and senior advocates Rakesh Dwivedi and Ajit Sinha described him as a person without any "malice" and a man with "intelligent brain".

"He never used to get angry whatsoever be the provocation," Kumar, who had worked closely with Jaitley, told PTI.

While Dwivedi said the former Union minister was an "eminent lawyer", Sinha said he always worked for the "welfare and upliftment of the bar".

Jaitley, who was a senior advocate, had a thumping practice as a lawyer in the courts, especially Delhi High Court, before he was made minister in the BJP government.

Kumar said that Jaitley's demise is "a great loss to the nation and a most outstanding person one can think of has passed away".

He said that Jaitley was a person without any malice and was available for everyone without any discrimination and whosoever reached out to him was heard.

"First of all, Arun Jaitely was a good friend of mine and he was an eminent lawyer as long as he was practising both in the Supreme Court and the high court," Dwivedi said, adding, "he had the intelligent brain and was an articulate speaker".

He said usually people can think but cannot articulate. However, Jaitley who was very soft spoken and friendly had a "rare combination" of both, he added.

Sinha, who is also a former high court judge, described Jaitley as a "crusader" who was first in the family to become a legal luminary.

Apart from that, Jaitley always worked for the welfare and upliftment of the bar and was ready to help those who use to come before him for genuine cause, Sinha said.

"He was an excellent thinker, orator, strategist and was the think-tank of the BJP government," Sinha said, adding that Jaitley used to keep the choicest watches and pens.

Dwivedi said that Jaitley was one of the finest finance ministers ever.

"We have lost a good friend, a good lawyer and good politician," he said, adding, "The government will be missing him because he was an important speaker. Though the prime minister and other important ministers like home ministers are themselves good speakers, but Arun Jaitley had his own place".

Sinha said Jaitley was in jail for around 19 months during the JP movement and the Emergency. Thereafter, he "emerged as a real leader at the national level."