Ram Jethmalani, a member of the Rajya Sabha and one of India's most senior and best known lawyers, has passed away. His son Mahesh Jethmalani told PTI that he breathed his last at 7.45 am on Sunday, September 8, 2019, at his official residence in New Delhi. He also said his father had not been keeping well for the past few months. Ram Jethmalani would have turned 96 on September 14, his son said. Mahesh said his father's last rites would be performed on Sunday evening at the Lodhi Road crematorium here.

In his long political career, Ram Jethmalani served as a member of the Lok Sabha, and also as minister of law and justice, and minister of urban development.

Prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, saying the country had lost an exceptional lawyer and an iconic figure who made rich contributions in courts and Parliament. He said Jethmalani was 'witty, courageous and never shied away from boldly expressing himself on any subject'.

He said, 'In the passing away of Shri Ram Jethmalani Ji, India has lost an exceptional lawyer and iconic public figure who made rich contributions both in the Court and Parliament.'

Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu said the country has lost a great intellectual and a patriot. 'Deeply saddened to learn about the demise of Shri Ram Jethmalani ... one of the brilliant minds of Bharat. In his passing away the nation has lost a distinguished jurist, a great intellectual & a patriot, who was active till his last breath,' the Vice President's secretariat tweeted.

Union minister for home affairs Amit Shah tweeted his condolences to the Jethmalani family, adding, 'Ram Jethmalani ji’s passing away is a irreparable loss to the entire legal community. He will always be remembered for his vast knowledge on legal affairs.' He also tweeted a picture of himself paying his last respects to Jethmalani.

Attorney General K K Venugopal said that with the passing away of Ram Jethmalani, the country has lost its finest lawyer who was bold and handled the most sensational criminal cases and constitutional matters. 'His passing away is a great loss not only to the Bar in the country but also to Parliament and the country as a whole,' Venugopal told PTI.

The Attorney General said Jethmalani's boldness set him apart as one of the finest lawyers in the country.

'According to me, he was a lawyer, was larger than life, handling the most sensational cases, especially criminal cases as I, therefore, told him once that he is a leader of the criminal Bar of the country. His retort was, 'I am also the no. 1 constitutional lawyer'. This is because he was handling cases across the board,' Venugopal said.