KK Venugopal to be new Attorney General of India

Suspense over the appointment of the new Attorney General for India following Mukul Rohatgi’s decision to step down as the top law officer is finally over. Senior advocate KK Venugopal’s name has been cleared for appointment, highly placed sources in the government say.

Sources said the proposal to appoint the 86-year-old veteran lawyer as the successor of Rohatgi was discussed before the departure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his recent visit to the US, Portugal and Netherlands. They added, “Venugopal had a meeting with Modi before his departure for a three-nation tour.”

Venugopal, however, refused to confirm the development. Venugopal, also a noted constitutional expert, said, “I will speak only after the notification is issued.” The senior advocate, however, reportedly said that the notification is likely to be issued in a day or two.

The Law Ministry had recently referred the file relating to the appointment of Venugopal as the Attorney General to the Prime Minister’s Office for a final call. According to the procedure, after the decision is finalised, the President has to sign the Warrant of Appointment of the Attorney General.

A recipient of Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan, Venugopal would become a law officer for the second time as he …read more