Swaraj Kaushal confirms he has been Lalit Modi's lawyer for past 22 yrs

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's husband Swaraj Kaushal has confirmed that he has been former IPL boss Lalit Modi's lawyer over the past 22 years, reports said Tuesday.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's husband Swaraj Kaushal has confirmed that he has been former IPL boss Lalit Modi's lawyer over the past 22 years, reports said Tuesday.

BJP-Leader-Sushma-Swaraj-during-the-2010-DLF-Indian-Premier-League-T20-group-stage-match-with-Lalit-Modi-Getty-Images

The Indian Express reported that Kaushal was also a guest for one night at Mumbai's Four Seasons hotel, where Modi was camped in April 2010.

"I was Lalit Modi's lawyer and went there on his request for legal advice. Naturally they had to pay for lawyer's stay for one day. Yes, I am Lalit Modi's lawyer for 22 years," the newspaper quoted Kaushal as saying.

Kaushal also reportedly clarified that he was at the hotel to advise Modi and not for any work related to the cricket league, though his stay was marked to the IPL account.

Kaushal's connections to the former IPL boss came under focus after reports said Sushma Swaraj helped facilitate travel papers for Modi who is charged with alleged financial impropriety and is staying in London since 2010.

According to Sushma Swaraj's bio on the external affairs ministry website, Swaraj Kaushal is a senior advocate of Supreme Court and a criminal lawyer who served as governor of Mizoram from 1990 to 1993. He was also a Member of Parliament from 1998 to 2004.

Kaushal, known to be an expert in northeast affairs, played a key role in the talks between the government and the Mizo National Front leadership, leading to the signing of the Mizoram accord in 1986.

They have a daughter, Bansuri, who is a graduate from Oxford University and a barrister at law from Inner Temple in UK.

Bansuri was reportedly among the battery of lawyers who represented Modi between April 2012 and August 2014 in a passport case at the Delhi high court.