List of all Attorney Generals of India: The AG of India, commonly referred to as the Attorney General is the highest law officer of the country entitled to powers mentioned in the Constitution. It is one of the highest positions of law in the country as the prime task of an Attorney General is to fight for the cases of the central government involved before the Supreme Court or the High Court.
The main task of the AG of India is representing the government of India in the Supreme Court and in any other court or tribunal in cases where the government is a party or has an interest. The current Attorney General of India is R. Venkataramani who succeeded KK Venugopal to become the 16th Attorney General of India and resumed the position from 1st October 2022.
In this article, we have provided the list of all attorney generals of India, along with the eligibility criteria, powers, and how the attorney general is elected.
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Table of Content
List of all Attorney Generals of India (Till Date)
In the Table given below, the list of all Attorney Generals of India from 1950 to the present is provided:
|
Sno |
Name of Attorney General |
Tenure |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Motilal Chimanlal Setalvad |
1950-1963 |
|
2 |
Chander Kishan Daphtary |
1963-1968 |
|
3 |
Niren De |
1968-1977 |
|
4 |
S. V. Gupte |
1977-1979 |
|
5 |
Lal Narayan Sinha |
1979-1983 |
|
6 |
Keshava Parasaran |
1983-1989 |
|
7 |
Soli Jehangir Sorabjee |
1989-1990 |
|
8 |
G. Ramaswamy |
1990-1992 |
|
9 |
Milon Kumar Banerji |
1992-1996 |
|
10 |
Ashok Desai |
1996-1998 |
|
11 |
Soli Jehangir Sorabjee |
1998-2004 |
|
12 |
Milon Kumar Banerji |
2004-2009 |
|
13 |
Goolam Essaji Vahanvati |
2009-2014 |
|
14 |
Mukul Rohatgi |
2014-2017 |
|
15 |
Kotayan Katankot Venugopal |
2017-2022 |
|
16 |
R. Venkataramani |
2022-current |
Eligibility to become an Attorney General
The position of attorney general is one of the most regarded professions in the government as he or she is a representative of government at the country level. The following are the requirements to be eligible to be appointed as the attorney general of India :
- The post of attorney general is mentioned in Article 76 of the Constitution which states that the attorney general is one of the highest law officers in the country. It refers to the position of attorney general and describes its powers and functions.
- The first criteria to be eligible for the post of attorney general is that the candidate must be a citizen of India. He or she must have practised law as a judge of High Court for atleast a period of 5 years, or must have been an advocate for atleast 10 years in the High Court.
- The attorney general may also be appointed on the basis of President’s view as one of the most eminent jurists of the Supreme Court or the High Court. Apart from which it is mandatory for the person to be eligible as a supreme court judge.
- Without the eligibility to become a judge in the Supreme Court, one cannot take the position of an attorney general.
How is an Attorney General appointed?
The process of appointment of an Attorney General is governed by the President. The attorney general appointed might be an eminent jurist of the supreme court in the eyes of President. The appointment and removal of an attorney general, all lie in the hands of the President. The appointment is done on the basis of a confirmation and discussion between the ruling regime and the President as the Attorney general is the representative of the ruling government in the courts and cases. The first attorney general of India was MC Setalvad who served the position from 1950-1963.
Powers of an Attorney General
An attorney general is referred to as the Chief Legal Advisor of the government. The AG has the following powers and functions in the ruling regime :
- Under Article 143, the President is entitled to question the Supreme Court on matters of governance, ruling or law. Here in, the attorney general acts as a spokesperson from the government’s part and is answerable to all the questions being put up by the Supreme Court.
- The attorney general is the lawyer for the Central government. Mostly, the cases in the Judiciary are related to the writs and petitions filed against the government. The attorney general fights for such cases and keeps the views of the government in front of the courts.
- It must be noted that An attorney general is not referred to a government servant. Although, it fights for the cases curtailing with the Government of India it is not a government servant, rather being referred to an individual body.
- It has all the rights equivalent to that of a Member of Parliament. According to Article 88, an attorney general of India has the right to keep it’s views and voice out his or her opinion on matters of Parliament. The person can speak in any context of the motion, however the AG is not entitled to vote in the house, because the position of AG is not considered to be a neutral position, but obvious, AG being the supporter of the ruling government.
- The attorney general is assisted by Solicitor Generals, and additional solicitor generals, if in case the AG is not available, the Solicitor generals and the additional Solicitor Generals can fight for the cases in Supreme Court or High Court.
- The attorney general is entitled to practice as an individual. He or she can fight for civil cases for which the person is paid an amount depending upon the location. For eg. A normal civil case would provide with an amount of around Rs 16,000/- and a case pertaining to the attorney general outside Delhi would provide an amount of Rs 40,000/-.
- The tasks that are conveyed to the attorney general by the president are further conveyed by him or her to the Central government. It thus, acts as a communicator between the two referring to actions and tasks that are assigned to him or her.
Limitations of an Attorney General
Although, AG is considered to be one of the top positions of the Judicial System of India, however, this post also curtails to some limitations.
- The attorney general is allowed to practice as an individual, however, he or she is strictly prohibited from dealing with criminal cases, or the ones against the views of the government. The cases concerned with property, personal disputes, marriage or divorce related can only be dealt by the attorney general.
- The attorney general is allowed to speak in both the houses of the parliament but it cannot vote for any purpose or law. He or she is just allowed to fight for the notion which the government wishes to support.
- On offer of any position in the government, or any other ministry, the attorney general is bound to take the permission of the Law & Justice Ministry in order to avoid any conflicting opinions. Apart from this, the attorney general cannot advise or assist any other ministry without the consent of the government or the President.
- Historically, the moment the central government falls, or fails in the election, it is generally a duty and a long time practice that the attorney general also leaves the position as soon as the government changes. This is because the attorney general is not a neutral post, and is the supporter of the government in ruling.
Attorney General Latest News
- Mr. Venkataramani assumed office in October 2023 after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi declined a second term.
- Recent media coverage has also highlighted his stance on other matters like the potential impact of a judicial order on the Delhi Metro and his decision to refuse consent for contempt proceedings against certain individuals.
- Allahabad HC Issues Notice To Attorney General On PIL Challenging Validity Of Muslim Personal (Shariat) Application Act: Mr. Venkataramani has been issued a notice to respond to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the validity of certain provisions in the Muslim Personal (Shariat) Application Act, 1937.
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Conclusion – List of all Attorney Generals of India
The attorney general of India is hence regarded as the highest law officer of the country due to it’s responsibilities towards the government. He or she works as a lawyer of the government and is answerable to the Supreme Court about all the policies and rules the ruling government makes. He or she has a solicitor general and several additional solicitor generals who work in the absence of the attorney general. The salary awarded to the attorney general is around Rs 2 lakhs per month, the starting amount being 1.5 lakhs per month. Apart from the allowances the attorney general gets from the government, he or she is also paid on the basis of the individual practice for a civil case if he or she fights for the court. With these perks, the position of attorney general is regarded as one of the most prestigious positions in the country.
FAQs on List of all Attorney Generals of India
Who appoints the Attorney General of India?
The President along with the confirmation of the current ruling regime is responsible for the appointment of Attorney General of India. The person eligible for the post of lawyer In the Supreme Court who is considered ideal for the post of the attorney general is appointed.
Who was the first attorney general of India and who is the current attorney general of India?
The first attorney general of India was MC Setalvad who served this position from the year 1950-1963. Currently, this position is being served by R. Venkataramani who took over this position from 1st October, 2022.
Which article grants authorities and powers to the attorney general of India?
Article 76 and Article 88 are the constitutional remarks that assign duties to the attorney general and describe the powers and functions he or she holds. It states that the Attorney General is the highest law officer of the country, and that it’s prime time task is to fight for the central government in Supreme Court. He or she can also speak in the Parliament but without the opportunity to vote in the houses.
Can the attorney general practise as an individual lawyer?
Yes! The attorney general has the powers to fight for the government in cases as well as fight for civil cases in the society. However, it is strictly restricted from curtailing to cases related to criminals.
What is the tenure of an attorney general of India?
The tenure of an attorney general is not fixed. It is relative to the pleasure of President, that is, as and when the President wants to appoint, re-appoint, or remove the attorney general, it can according to it’s will. However, the tenure is not decided within the Constitution.