KK Venugopal appointed as Attorney General of India

Senior advocate and constitutional expert KK Venugopal was on 30 June 2017 appointed as the 15th Attorney General of India. His appointment was approved by President Pranab Mukherjee after his name was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Venugopal will succeed Mukul Rohatgi, who chose to return to private practice after a three-year term as the Attorney General of India, country's top law position.

He returns as a law officer after four decades. Earlier, in 1977, he had served as Additional Solicitor General.

About KK Venugopal

• Hailing from Kerala’s Kasargode district, Venugopal started his legal career in Mysore in 1954, before practising at the Madras High Court under his father, late barrister M K Nambiar.

• He started appearing in the SC in the early 1960s while being based in erstwhile Madras and was designated as a senior advocate by the SC in 1972.

• Five years later, he was appointed as an Additional Solicitor General in 1977.

• Venugopal was also appointed by the Royal Government of Bhutan to serve as the Constitutional adviser for the drafting of the Constitution of Bhutan.

• In 2015, he was conferred with Padma Vibhushan award, the second-highest civilian honour in India. He had also been awarded with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour.

• He is a collector of antiquarian books and possesses a large personal library , including many books published in the 17th and 18th century.

• With more than 50 years of practice in the Supreme Court, his legal acumen is accompanied by a serene exterior and he remains calm even during the most stormy arguments in court.

• Venugopal donates a large sum for legal education, medical facilities in tribal areas of Kerala and other charitable purposes.

Article 76: Appointment of Attorney General of India

The Article 76 of the Indian Constitution deals with the Attorney General of India. As per the Article 76:

• The President shall appoint a person who is qualified to be appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court to be Attorney General for India.

• It shall be the duty of the Attorney General to give advice to the Union Government on legal matters, and to perform duties of a legal character, referred or assigned to him by the President.

• In the performance of his duties, the Attorney General shall have right of audience in all courts in the territory of India.

• The Attorney General shall hold office during the pleasure of the President, and shall receive such remuneration as the President may determine Conduct of Government Business.