Courtesy: PIB
The Attorney General for India (AG) is the highest law officer of the country, established under Article 76 of the Constitution of India. The AG is appointed by the President of India and must be a person qualified to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
AG’s primary duty is to advise the Government of India on legal matters, represent the Union in the Supreme Court and other courts, and perform other legal duties assigned by the President. Though not a member of Parliament, the AG has the right to participate in its proceedings (but without voting rights).
The current Attorney General of India is R. Venkataramani, who has been serving in the position since 1 October 2022.
Below is a comprehensive list of all the Attorneys General of India, along with their dates of appointment, tenure, and the Presidents and Prime Ministers under whom they served.
| Name of Attorney General | Date of Appointment | Date of Demitting Office | Appointed By (President) | Prime Minister(s) | Total Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. C. Setalvad | 28 Jan 1950 | 1 Mar 1963 | Rajendra Prasad | Jawaharlal Nehru | 13 Years, 1 Month |
| C. K. Daphtary | 2 Mar 1963 | 30 Oct 1968 | S. Radhakrishnan | L. B. Shastri, Indira Gandhi | 5 Years, 7 Months |
| Niren De | 1 Nov 1968 | 31 Mar 1977 | Zakir Husain | Indira Gandhi | 8 Years, 5 Months |
| S. V. Gupte | 1 Apr 1977 | 8 Aug 1979 | B. D. Jatti | Morarji Desai | 2 Years, 4 Months |
| L. N. Sinha | 9 Aug 1979 | 8 Aug 1983 | N. Sanjiva Reddy | Charan Singh, Indira Gandhi | 4 Years |
| K. Parasaran | 9 Aug 1983 | 8 Dec 1989 | Zail Singh | Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi | 6 Years, 4 Months |
| Soli J. Sorabjee | 9 Dec 1989 | 2 Dec 1990 | R. Venkataraman | V. P. Singh | 11 Months, 24 Days |
| G. Ramaswamy | Dec 1990 | Nov 1992 | R. Venkataraman | Chandra Shekhar, P. V. Narasimha Rao | ≈ 2 Years |
| Milon K. Banerji | 24 Nov 1992 | 8 Jul 1996 | Shankar Dayal Sharma | P. V. Narasimha Rao | 3 Years, 7 Months |
| Ashok Desai | 9 Jul 1996 | 6 Apr 1998 | Shankar Dayal Sharma | H. D. Deve Gowda, I. K. Gujral | 1 Year, 9 Months |
| Soli J. Sorabjee | 7 Apr 1998 | 4 Jun 2004 | K. R. Narayanan | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 6 Years, 1 Month |
| Milon K. Banerji | 5 Jun 2004 | 7 Jun 2009 | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | Manmohan Singh | 5 Years |
| G. E. Vahanvati | 8 Jun 2009 | 11 Jun 2014 | Pratibha Patil | Manmohan Singh | 5 Years |
| Mukul Rohatgi | 19 Jun 2014 | 18 Jun 2017 | Pranab Mukherjee | Narendra Modi | 3 Years |
| K. K. Venugopal | 1 Jul 2017 | 30 Sep 2022 | Ram Nath Kovind | Narendra Modi | 5 Years, 3 Months |
| R. Venkataramani | 1 Oct 2022 | Present | Droupadi Murmu | Narendra Modi | 2 Years (as of Oct 2025) |