Defamation case: Kejriwal wants taxpayers to cough up his Rs 3.8 cr legal fees

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal paid Rs 3.8 crore in legal fees to top notch lawyers like Ram Jethmalani, to fight his defamation case.

Now, Kejriwal wants the Delhi government to meet his bill of Rs 3.8 crore with taxpayers' money, NDTV reported.

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia signed the bill before sending it to the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal for clearance.

Also read: Will appear free for 'poor' Kejriwal if he can't pay legal bills: Jethmalani

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani has been defending Kejriwal in both civil and criminal cases. On account of his services, Jethmalani sent Kejriwal a retainer bill of Rs 1 crore and Rs 22 lakhs for each appearance in court.

Arun Jaitley had filed a defamation suit against Kejriwal and a few other AAP leaders for accusing him of financial irregularities when he was the President of Delhi and District Cricket Association or DDCA. He also pushed for Rs 10 crore in damages against the allegations made.

"A raid happened at the Chief Minister's office and his statements (against Mr Jaitley) followed. It was an attack on the CM of Delhi," an AAP leader said to NDTV on condition of anonymity.

AAP leaders also said that Ram Jethmalani initially offered to represent Kejriwal free of cost, but nine months after taking up the case, he started sending bills to the Chief Minister.