List of all Solicitor Generals of India

List of all Solicitor Generals of India: The SG of India, referred to as the Solicitor General of India is regarded as the second highest law officer position, the first being the position of the Attorney General. The solicitor general works under the attorney general and is regarded as the government’s lawyer.

The main task of an SG of India is to fight for cases against the government or writs filed in the Supreme Court or High Court. The current solicitor general of India is Tushar Mehta who took over this position in the year 2018.

In this article, we have provided the list of all solicitor generals of India, along with the eligibility criteria, powers, and how solicitor general is elected.

Read: Solicitor General of India

List of all Solicitor Generals of India (Till Date)

In the Table given below: A list of all Solicitor Generals of India from 1950 to the present is provided:

S. No	Name of Solicitor General	Term
1	Chander Kishan Daphtary	1950-1963
2	H. N. Sanyal	1963-1964
3	S. V. Gupta	1964-1967
4	Niren De	1967-1968
5	Jagadish Swarup	1969-1972
6	Lal Narayan Sinha	1972-1977
7	S. N. Kacker	1977-1979
8	Soli Jehangir Sorabjee	1979-1980
9	Keshava Parasaran	1980-1983
10	Milon Kumar Banerji	1986-1989
11	Ashok Desai	1989-1990
12	A. D. Giri	1990-1991
13	Dipankar P. Gupta	1992-1997
14	Tehmtan R. Andhyarujina	1997-1998
15	Nitte Santhosh Hegde	1998-1999
16	Harish Salve	1999-2002
17	Kirit Raval	2002-2004
18	Goolam Essaji Vahanvati	2004-2009
19	Gopal Subramaniam	2009-2011
20	Rohinton Fali Nariman	2011-2013
21	Mohan Parasaran	2013-2014
22	Ranjit Kumar	2014-2017
23	Tushar Mehta	2018-current

Eligibility to become Solicitor General

The eligibility to become a solicitor general is similar to that of an attorney general. Below are the mentioned criteria a candidate has to fulfil in order to become the Solicitor General of India :

• The candidate wishing to apply for the post of Solicitor General must be a citizen of India.
• The candidate must have the qualifications and all requirements which one requires to become the judge of Supreme Court.
• The candidate must have served as a judge in the High court for a period of atleast 5 years, or as an advocate in High Court for a period of atleast 10 years.

How Solicitor General is elected?

The Solicitor general is elected by the confirmation of the top head of the country along with the central government. The first Solicitor General of India was CK Daphtary who took over the position from 1950-1963.

• The process of appointment starts with the ACC – Appointments Committee of Cabinet which constitutes of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Home Affairs. The ACC appoints the candidate and sends the names for confirmation to the Ministry of Law Affairs and then further to the president.
• The president appoints the solicitor general of India. Under Article 143 which provides powers to the President to seek advise or question the government, or any law from the Supreme Court, the President thus provides these powers to the attorney general & the solicitor generals of India to validate the laws and government and be answerable to the Supreme Court and The President.
• On confirmation with the Central government and the Ministry of Law & Justice, the solicitor general is elected. After which the solicitor general is concerned with the appointment of additional solicitor generals with the approval of The President and Ministry of Law & Justice. The task of additional solicitor generals is to help the Solicitor general if in any case the SG is unavailable.
• Apart from the appointment, re-appointment is also possible under the pleasure of President, that is, as and when the President wishes to re-appoint the existing Solicitor General it can. The tenure of a solicitor general is fixed, that is, 3 years. However, this can be extended when the President wants. The solicitor general can also be removed according to the will of the President and the Union government.

Powers of a Solicitor General

The Solicitor General is the second highest law officer of the country and it holds large powers that are concerned with the Union government. Below are a few powers and functions of the Solicitor General of India :

• The Solicitor general is a representative of the central government in several cases that are against the government in Supreme Courts, or High Courts. They act as lawyers of government and fight for issues pertaining to any law, or rules put into action by the ruling regime. In short, they are answerable to the court for every action and tasks the central government does.
• The Solicitor General is referred for any advice or opinion on the take of a law or rule. Any legal advice concerned with Law of Ministries, or other ministry’s on approval of the government is provided by the solicitor general who works alongside the attorney general.
• The tenure of a solicitor general is not fixed, that is, it can be extended according to the will of the President. Thus, the solicitor general is given the benefit of being re-appointed. Apart from this, the solicitor general can later on also be appointed as the attorney general.
• The solicitor generals can also practise as individual lawyers. They are provided with remuneration based on the area where the fight for civil cases. They are paid for civil cases an amount of Rs 16,000/- and for cases outside Delhi an amount of Rs 40,000/-.
• The solicitor generals assist the attorney generals of India. Their prime time task is if the attorney general is unavailable for any reason, the solicitor general has to fight for the case and be the representative of the government in front of the Supreme Court. The tasks of the solicitor general is further assisted by additional solicitor generals too.

Solicitor General Latest News

• The current solicitor general of India Tushar Mehta was re-appointed for a second term of 3 years on 1st July, 2023. He was appointed as the additional solicitor general in the year 2014, then solicitor general in 2018 and further re-appointed for 3 years starting from 2023.
• Alongside the re-appointment of Tushar Mehta, 6 additional solicitor generals have also been re-appointed for the Supreme court from July 2023 for a period of 3 years. Following people have been re-appointed as additional solicitor generals : Vikramjit Banerjee, KM Nataraj, Balbir Singh, SV Raju, N Venkataraman and Aishwarya Bhati.

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Summary – List of all Solicitor Generals of India

The Solicitor General of India holds a crucial legal position as the government’s representative in legal matters, particularly in the Supreme Court and High Courts. Currently, Tushar Mehta serves in this role, having been re-appointed for a second term starting from July 1, 2023. The appointment process involves the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and confirmation by the President. The Solicitor General provides legal advice, offers opinions on laws, and plays a vital role in cases against the government. Their eligibility requires qualifications akin to a Supreme Court judge and significant experience in the legal field. This position, although not a constitutional body, carries substantial responsibilities in upholding the rule of law and representing the government’s interests in legal proceedings.

FAQs on List of all Solicitor Generals of India

Who appoints the solicitor general of India?

The solicitor general of India is appointed first by the ACC – Appointments Committee of Cabinet which is then further sent forward for conformation by the President & Ministry of Law & Justice and approved by the attorney general of India.

Who was the first solicitor general of India and who is the current solicitor general?

The first solicitor general of India was appointed for the tenure 1950-1963 – CK Daphtary. Currently, Tushar Mehta is serving the post of the current solicitor general of India and he has been re-appointed for his second tenure of 3 years.

Is the Solicitor general allowed to speak in the parliament?

Unlike the attorney general of India, a solicitor general does not have the authority to speak in any of the houses of Parliament or vote for any law. It can only advise the government regarding laws and cases.

Are there any mentions regarding solicitor generals in the Constitution?

No. Solicitor generals position is a statutory post, that is, it is not a constitutional body. Unlike attorney generals, the solicitor generals have no mention in the Constitution regarding their position or powers. Their positions have been controlled and decided by laws formed in the country.

What is the prime time task of a solicitor general?

A solicitor general works just below the attorney general. It has work similar to that of an attorney general and acts as a lawyer for the cases of the central government. It also answers for the questions raised by the President before the Supreme Court and provides opinions on matters of law and justice as and when asked by the government