The Attorney General for India is the Indian government’s chief legal advisor. The Attorney General is the primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. The Attorney General is also known to be the advocate from government’s side. The Attorney General for India are appointed by the President of India on advice of Union Cabinet under Article 76(1) of the Constitution. He is eligible to hold office during the pleasure of the President. The 15th and the current Attorney General of India is K. K. Venugopal. K. K. Venugopal was reappointed by Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India. He was formally appointed as with effect from 30 June 2017. In this article let us check the list of attorney general of India 2021. The article also includes the roles and responsibilties of the Attorney general of India. This is a very important topic when it comes to the Indian Polity section of the competitive examination.
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List of Attorney General of India 2021
The following are the attorney generals for India since Independence. M.C Setalvad was the first attorney general of India. K.K. Venugopal is the current attorney general of India.
| S. No | Name | Tenure |
| 1 | M.C. Setalvad | 28 January 1950 – 1 March 1963 |
| 2 | C.K. Daftari | 2 March 1963 – 30 October 1968 |
| 3 | Niren de | 1 November 1968 – 31 March 1977 |
| 4 | S.V. Gupte | 1 April 1977 – 8 August 1979 |
| 5 | L.N. Sinha | 9 August 1979 – 8 August 1983 |
| 6 | K. Parasaran | 9 August 1983 – 8 December 1989 |
| 7 | Soli Sorabjee | 9 December 1989 – 2 December 1990 |
| 8 | J. Ramaswamy | 3 December 1990 – November 23, 1992 |
| 9 | Milon K. Banerji | 21 November 1992 – 8 July 1996 |
| 10 | Ashok Desai | 9 July 1996 – 6 April 1998 |
| 11 | Soli Sorabjee | 7 April 1998 – 4 June 2004 |
| 12 | Milon K. Banerjee | 5 June 2004 – 7 June 2009 |
| 13 | Goolam Essaji Vahanvati | 8 June 2009 – 11 June 2014 |
| 14 | Mukul Rohatgi | 12 June 2014 – 30 June 2017 |
| 15 | K.K. Venugopal | 30 June 2017 – Till date |
Powers, Duties and Functions of Attorney General
- Attorney General is has to advise the Government of India on legal matters when referred.
- Attorney General has to perform the perform legal duties assigned to them by the President.
- The Attorney General has the right of audience in all Courts in India.
- The Attorney General has the right to participate in the proceedings of the Parliament.
- The Attorney General has to appear in the supreme court for all the cases in which the government of India is concerned on behalf of Government of India. Cases includes suits, appeals and other proceedings
- The Attorney General should also represent the Government of India in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court according to the Article 143 of the Constitution.
- The Attorney General is not a government servant and hence is not debarred from private legal practice.
- The Attorney General is assisted by a Solicitor General and four additional Solicitors General.
Term of Attorney General’s office
- There is no fixed term for the Attorney General of India.
- The Attorney General of India is appointed by the President of India.
- The Attorney General must be a citizen of India.
- The Attorney General holds office during the pleasure of the President.
- The Attorney General can also quit by submitting his resignation to the President
- The Attorney General must be a person qualified to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court
Limitations on the Attorney General
The following are the limitations of the attorney general of India.
- The Attorney General cannot advise or hold a brief against the Government of India
- The Attorney General cannot advise or hold a brief in cases in which he is called upon to advise or appear for the Government of India
- The Attorney General does not have the right to defend accused persons in criminal proceedings.
- The Attorney General is not allowed to accept appointment as a director in any company without the permission of the Government of India
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