It is perhaps symptomatic of the times we live in that a 20 second noisy soundbite will echo far more than a 1200-word reasoned
argument. Which is why a Ram Jethmalani exploding on CNN-IBN while defending his right to represent the prime
accused in the Jessica Lal case appears to have set off such an avalanche of comment in the blogosphere. Unfortunately, much of the debate has caught the wrong end of the stick. Jethmalani is perfectly justified in reiterating the constitutional right of the accused to have the best possible defence. The moral compass of an individual must remain his own, and if the learned criminal lawyer
refuses to see the distinction between legality and morality, then that is an issue best left to his own judgement. However, it is not Ram Jethmalani reasserting his penchant for self-publicity that is troubling (an octogenarian who refuses to fade into the sunset is not unusual). What is distressing is the manner in which he chose to heap abuse on the media, while suggesting that an ignorant media, and pesky 24 hour news channels in particular, had no business to be "interfering" in the judicial process.