Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi has been appointed Attorney General of India. On Thursday, the Union law Ministry issued a notification appointing the senior law practitioner as the 14th Attorney General for three-year tenure.
Rohatgi, 59, who has a roaring legal practice and a profound presence in the Supreme Court, will replace Goolam Eesaji Vahanvati as the country’s top law officer holding a constitutional office. Under Article 76(1) of the Constitution, the President of India appoints the Attorney General of India, a person qualified to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Rohatgi’s name as the next A-G did the rounds since the formation of the Narendra Modi Government, but the list of law officers notified by the Government on June 7 did not mention the name of Rohatgi. This gave rise to speculation about someone else being considered by the Modi Government in place of Rohatgi. But doubts were put to rest on Tuesday, when the file approving Rohatgi’s election as A-G was cleared by the law Ministry.
Respected and loved by the Bar for appearing pro bono (without fees) for poor litigants or lawyers in need, Rohatgi is also a hit among the junior lawyers with whom he shares good camaraderie.
Son of a gifted lawyer and a former Delhi HC judge, Rohatgi trained under former CJI YK Sabharwal at the start of his career.
In 1999, his brilliance was noticed by the NDA Government which appointed him as Additional Solicitor General, which brought him from the Delhi High Court to the Supreme Court. Rated among the top billing lawyers in the country, Rohatgi has the unique ability to negotiate any crisis. He can argue on his feet, even when briefed on a matter minutes before entering the courtroom.
He has a passion for cars and spends his vacation holidaying at exotic locations across the globe. But with the present office requiring him to keep an official vehicle and to be present on short-notice at important meetings chaired by the Prime Minister and other constitutional functionaries, it has to be seen how Rohatgi would endure the challenges that come with being the country’s top legal brain.