'Bar has lost an eminent jurist and its pride'

Mourning the demise of former Union Minister and senior advocate Arun Jaitley, the Bar Council of India on Saturday said the "Bar has lost an eminent jurist and one of its tallest members."

"Bar has lost an eminent jurist, a talented leader and one of its tallest members. A politician who was acceptable to people across the party lines. He always stood for the causes of the legal fraternity. He was a true friend of friends and was the pride for the Bar," said senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, chairman, Bar Council of India.

"Mr. Jaitley was one of the best bilingual orators (English & Hindi) and a noted Parliamentarian. It won't be possible to fill the void created due to the demise of the legal giant," Mishra added.

Apart from being a seasoned politician and current Rajya Sabha MP, the veteran BJP leader was a senior advocate and also practiced law at the Supreme Court and High Courts and lower courts.

He was appointed as a senior advocate by the Delhi High Court on January 19,1990.

He was the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) during the tenure of the coalition government headed by V.P. Singh. During this period, he represented the government in the infamous Bofors case.

Jaitley passed away at AIIMS after prolonged illness on Saturday. He was 66. IANS