Supreme Court lawyer Ram Jethmalani responds to the controversy over his client Arvind Kejriwal's lawyer fees.

Kejriwal wants the taxpayer to foot his legal bills of Rs 3.8 crore for defamation cases filed against him by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Kejriwal engaged a battery of lawyers to represent him, including Ram Jethmalani, one of the most eminent, but expensive lawyers in the country. Kejriwal's deputy, Manish Sisodia, has signed off on the bills and sent them for clearance to Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, who has sought the opinion of experts on how to proceed.

Jethmalani said today that he was willing to represent Kejriwal for free if he couldn't pay. "I will work free if Kejriwal cannot pay my bill. Everyone knows I charge the rich, but work for free for the poor. The entire controversy has been instigated by Arun Jaitley; all LGs are under his control."