Attorney General K K Venugopal to stay in post for three more months

Senior advocate K.K. Venugopal has agreed to continue as the Attorney General (AG) for three more months following a request from the Central government, sources said on Wednesday.

Venugopal's tenure was to end on June 30.

A source familiar with the development said the AG has agreed to continue for three more months, or till the time the government finds a suitable replacement.

Venugopal, 91, was appointed by the President as Attorney General for India in July 2017 for a three-year term. His term was subsequently extended twice for a year each.

The source added that the AG had cited personal reasons for not continuing in the constitutional post. However, the Central government urged him to continue as the top law officer.

Venugopal is an eminent Supreme Court lawyer, who has appeared in several cases involving interpretations of the Constitution and is regarded as an expert on constitutional law. He was an Additional Solicitor General of India between 1979 and 1980. In 2002, Venugopal was awarded Padma Bhushan and in 2015, the Padma Vibhushan.

Venugopal was designated senior advocate by the Supreme Court in 1972.