Centre extends KK Venugopal's tenure as Attorney General

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 28

The Centre has decided to extend Attorney General KK Venugopal’s tenure by one year, sources said on Monday.

The decision has been taken keeping in view the high-profile cases he is handling in the Supreme Court and his experience at the Bar, the sources said.

This is the second one-year extension given to the 90-year-old veteran lawyer who was appointed as the top law officer of the government in 2017 for a three-year term.

When his first term as Attorney General was to end last year, he was given a one-year extension as he had requested the government not to re-appoint him for a full three-year term in view of his advanced age.

Venugopal’s current tenure ends on June 30, the sources said, adding a formal notification in this regard would be issued soon.

The Government’s decision to continue with Venugopal as the Attorney General comes at a time when the Supreme Court is seized of petitions challenging the validity of nullification of Article 370 of the Constitution and Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

As a top law officer, he has successfully defended the NDA Government in many high-stakes matters, including the Rafael fighter jet deal and Aadhaar cases.

A recipient of Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan awards, Venugopal was appointed the 15th Attorney General in June 2017 after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi decided to step down for personal reasons. He had also served as Additional Solicitor General during the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party Government.