Mukul Rohatgi set to return as Attorney General for India
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi is likely to assume the post of Attorney General for India (A-G)—the country's top legal officer—for the second time on October 1. The tenure of the current Attorney General KK Venugopal (91) will end on September 30. Reportedly, Rohatgi gave his consent for being appointed to the post following a request from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) last week.
Why does this story matter?
The news about Rohatgi's return as the Attorney General comes a week after Venugopal told the Supreme Court that he might not be in office after September 30. The current A-G is reportedly stepping down owing to his old age. While searching for Venugopal's successors, the Centre had reportedly zeroed in on Rohatgi, who is set to begin his second A-G term next month.
Rohatgi was first appointed A-G in 2014 by Modi government
To recall, Rohatgi was earlier appointed as the A-G in 2014 when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power. After completing his tenure in 2017, however, he expressed his wish not to extend his term, citing personal reasons. Rohatgi returned to private practice later.
Rohatgi consulted before abrogation of Article 370
Rohatgi is a high-profile lawyer who has several important cases to his credit. Notably, he represented the Gujarat government in the 2002 Gujarat riots case and more recently led the defense team of Aryan Khan—actor Shah Rukh Khan's son—in the drugs-on-cruise case. He was also reportedly consulted by the Centre regarding the scrapping of Article 370—which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir—in 2019.
Venugopal's term was extended thrice
KK Venugopal succeeded Rohatgi as the 15th A-G in 2017. In 2020, as his tenure neared completion, he requested to be relieved but was asked by the Centre to continue for a year. He later received another one-year extension. In June 2022, Venugopal's term was once again extended by three months to September 30 or until further orders.
Rohatgi was appointed Additional Solicitor General in 1999
Rohatgi is the son of former Delhi High Court Justice Awadh Behari Rohatgi. He had obtained his law degree from Government Law College in Mumbai and started his practice after college. Notably, the Delhi High Court designated him as a senior counsel in 1993. Later, in 1999, he was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General of India by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
