Jethmalani to be India’s 2nd top law officer?

New Delhi: With reports emanating that former BJP leader Ram Jethmalani could take up some critical cases against the relative of a top BJP leader, speculations are rife that the party might try to win over the son to appease the father.

There are rumours in the saffron corridors that the party could consider Mahesh Jethmalani for the post of solicitor-general, following the resignation of Ranjit Kumar from that post on October 20 due to certain personal reasons.

Reports suggest that Mr Jethmalani, who was highly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and finance minister Arun Jaitley, on the black money issue, may consider taking up the case against the relative of the top BJP leader. To counter this move, the BJP is exploring the option of appointing his son and senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani for the senior law officer’s post to assist attorney-general K.K. Venugopal in defending several important and high-profile cases in the Supreme Court.

Additional solicitor-general Maninder Singh perceived to be very close to Mr Jaitley and ASG Tushar Mehta, who hails from Gujarat and is close to the BJP leadership, are the other contenders for the coveted post. The Centre is expected to take a decision on the appointment soon after the law minister’s return from his trip abroad tomorrow. The Mumbai-based lawyer has appeared in several important cases before the Bombay high court and Supreme Court, where he appeared for BJP president Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter and Tulsiram Prajapati killing cases.