Who is the Attorney General of India?

As stated in Article 76 of the Indian Constitution, there shall be an Attorney General of India who will be the highest law officer in India. He will be the chief legal advisor to the Government of India (GOI) and advise the Central Government on all legal matters like an Advocate General for a State Government.

Who appoints the Attorney General of India?

The Attorney General of India is appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Government of India/ Union Government. To be appointed to this post, he/ she must fulfil the following criteria: He/ she must be a citizen of India He/ she should have either completed 5 years as a High Court Judge of any state of India or 10 years as an advocate in the High Court He/ she must be an eminent jurist in the eye of the President

Who is the current Attorney General of India?

R Venkataraman i, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer, has been appointed as India’s Attorney General for a three-year term. R Venkataramani, a lawyer, with 42 years of experience serving at India’s top court.

What is the work of Attorney General of India?

The work of the Attorney General of India is as follows: The Attorney General of India (AGI) gives advice to the President of India on legal matters AGI gives advice to the Central Government/ Government of India on legal matters which are designated to him by the President of India AGI performs the functions bestowed to him by or under the constitution or any other law For more information, please refer to the article above.

How to become Attorney General of India?

The essential requirement to be the Attorney General of India is that he/she must be an Indian Citizen and hold five years of experience as a judge in some high courts or an advocate of the high court for ten years or a prominent attorney, in the opinion of the President.

Can Attorney General of India take part in the proceedings of Indian Parliament?

Yes, the Attorney General of India can take part in the proceedings of the Indian Parliament, though, he/ she does not have the right to vote.

Who has the longest tenure as Attorney General of India?

MC Setalvad had the longest tenure as Attorney General of India viz. for 13 years. He was also the first Attorney General of India.

Which Attorney General of India has the shortest tenure?

Soli Sorabjee has the shortest tenure as an Attorney General of India. Though he was appointed for the position of Attorney General of India twice, however, his shortest period was from 9th December 1989 to 2nd December 1990.

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Attorney General of India: Appointment, Roles, List and Limitations

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: September 25th, 2023

The Attorney General of India serves as the Government of India’s chief legal advisor and counsel in court. Under Article 76 (1) of the Constitution, they are appointed by the President of India at the request of the Union Cabinet and serve at the President’s pleasure. To be appointed as a Supreme Court Justice, they must be qualified. As a result, in the President’s decision, they must have been a high court judge for five years, a high court advocate for ten years, or a distinguished jurist.

AGI is a key part of Indian politics, and at least three to four questions about it will appear in the SSC Exams. We have covered every aspect of India’s Attorney General.

Table of content

1. Attorney General of India
2. Attorney General of India PDF
3. Appointment of Attorney General of India
4. Present Attorney General of India
5. First Attorney General of India
6. First Women Attorney General of India
7. List of Attorney General of India
8. Attorney General of India Functions
9. Limitations of Attorney General of India
10. Rights of Attorney General of India

Attorney General of India

The Attorney General of India is the highest legal authority in India, according to Article 76 of the Indian Constitution. He will be the Government of India’s (GOI) chief legal advisor, advising the Central Government on all legal matters in the same role as a State Government’s Advocate General. He will also be the Supreme Court of India’s chief advocate, representing the Central Government/Union Government. The table below outlines some major points affecting India’s Attorney General:

Particulars	Details
Post	Attorney General of India
At Present AGI	R. Venkataramani
1^st AGI	Motilal C Setalvad
Appointed by	President of India on the advice of the Union Government
Responsibility	AGI is the chief legal advisor to the Government of India and acts as it

Attorney General of India PDF

For all the information given above regarding the Attorney General of India and much more, we are providing the downloadable link below. Candidates can save the PDF for studying and revision purposes.

Attorney General of India PDF

Appointment of Attorney General of India

The Attorney General of India is appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Government of India/ Union Government. To be appointed to this post, he/ she must fulfill the following criteria:

He/ she must be a citizen of India
He/ she should have either completed 5 years as a High Court Judge of any state of India or 10 years as an advocate in the High Court
He/ she must be an eminent jurist in the eye of the President

Present Attorney General of India

R Venkataramani, a well-known Supreme Court lawyer, has been selected for a three-year term as India’s Attorney General. R Venkataramani has 42 years of Supreme Court of India expertise. In 1977, he joined the Tamil Nadu Bar Council and in 1979, he began working for Senior Supreme Court Advocate PP Rao. He established his own solo practice in the Supreme Court in 1982, and he was appointed Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court in 1997.

First Attorney General of India

M.C. Setalvad, India’s first Attorney General, held the job the longest—13 years—and was appointed twice. Motilal Chimanlal Setalvad (about 1884 – 1974) was an Indian jurist who served as the country’s first and longest-serving Attorney General. (1950–1963). He also served as the Chairman of India’s first Law Commission, which was established by the Indian government to improve the country’s legal system. (1955-1958). In 1961, he was appointed as the first Chairman of the Bar Council of India. In 1957, the Government of India bestowed upon him the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian accolade.

First Women Attorney General of India

The attorney general is in charge of advising the Indian government on legal matters that arise. They also carry out additional legal tasks given to them by the President. The attorney general may attend all Indian courts and participate in Parliamentary sessions, but he or she may not vote. There has never been a woman appointed as Attorney General of India.

List of Attorney General of India

The Attorney General is appointed by the President. The Supreme Court nominee should be qualified to serve. That is, he must be an Indian citizen and a high court judge for five years, a high court advocate for ten years, or, in the president’s opinion, a prominent jurist. Here is a list of all AGIs discovered in India so far:

Attorney General of India	Name	Tenure
1^st AGI	MC Setalvad	28^th January 1950 to 1^st March 1963
2^nd AGI	CK Daftari	2^nd March 1963 to 30^th October 1968
3^rd AGI	Niren De	1^st November 1968 to 31^st March 1977
4^th AGI	SV Gupte	1^st April 1977 to 8^th August 1979
5^th AGI	LN Sinha	9^th August 1979 to 8^th August 1983
6^th AGI	K Parasaran	9^th August 1983 to 8^th August 1989
7^th AGI	Soli Sorabjee	9^th December 1989 to 2^nd December 1990
8^th AGI	J Ramaswamy	3^rd December 1990 to 23^rd November 1992
9^th AGI	Milon K Banerjee	21^st November 1992 to 8^th July 1996
10^th AGI	Ashok Desai	9^th July 1996 to 6^th April 1998
11^th AGI	Soli Sorabjee	7^th April 1998 to 4^th June 2004
12^th AGI	Milon K Banerjee	5^th June 2004 to 7^th June 2009
13^th AGI	Goolam Essaji Vahanvati	8^th June 2009 to 11^th June 2014
14^th AGI	Mukul Rohatgi	12^th June 2014 to 30^th June 2017
15^th AGI	KK Venugopal	30^th June 2017 to September 22^nd, 2022
16^th AGI	R. Venkataramani	1st October 2022 – till date

Attorney General of India Functions

The attorney general is required to advise the Indian government on legal matters presented to them. The Attorney General of India’s functions is described below:

The Attorney General of India (AGI) advises the President of India on legal matters.
AGI provides legal advice to the Central Government/Government of India on matters delegated to him by the President of India.
AGI performs the duties assigned to him under the constitution or any other law.
AGI represents the Government of India in all Supreme Court of India issues. (GOI).
The Attorney General appears on behalf of the Government of India in any referral to the Supreme Court made by the President of India under Article 143 of the Indian Constitution. AGI also appears in high court cases on behalf of the Indian government.

Limitations of Attorney General of India

Below are the Limitations of the Attorney General of India which are listed point by point, candidates are advised to go through these points for complete information.

A few limits apply to the Attorney General of India in order to avoid any conflict of duty.
AGI must not advise or represent the Union Government/Government of India.
In instances where he is called upon to advise or represent the Union Government/ GOI, AGI must not advise or represent the Union Government/ GOI.
Without the authorisation of the Union Government/GOI, AGI may not represent individuals in criminal cases.
AGI must not accept his position as a director of any corporation or firm unless the Union Government/GOI consents.

Rights of Attorney General of India

There are several rights and responsibilities of the Attorney General of India. We have discussed the major rights of the Attorney General of India for your reference.