Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Solicitor General of India

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President of India

Term length
  
3 years

Seat
  
A-47, Kailash Colony, New Delhi

Deputy
  
Additional Solicitors General of India

The Solicitor General of India is below the Attorney General for India, who is the Indian government's chief legal advisor, and its primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. The Solicitor General of India is appointed for the period of 3 years. The Solicitor General of India is the secondary law officer of the country, assists the Attorney General, and is himself assisted by several Additional Solicitors General of India. Ranjit Kumar is the present Solicitor General who was appointed so on 7 June 2014 Like the Attorney General for India, the Solicitor General and the Additional Solicitors General advise the Government and appear on behalf of the Union of India in terms of the Law Officers (Terms and Conditions) Rules, 1972. However, unlike the post of Attorney General for India, which is a Constitutional post under Article 76 of the Constitution of India, the posts of the Solicitor General and the Additional Solicitors General are merely statutory.

Contents

Duties

Duties of Solicitor General are laid out in Law Officers (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1987:

  • to give advice to the Government of India upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legal character, as may from time to time, be referred or assigned to him by the Government of India.
  • to appear, whenever required, in the Supreme Court or in any High Court on behalf of the Government of India in cases (including suits, writ petitions, appeal and other proceedings) in which the Government of India is concerned as a party or is otherwise interested;
  • to represent the Government of India in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court under Article 143 of the Constitution; and
  • to discharge such other functions as are conferred on a Law Officer by or under the Constitution or any other Law for the time being in force.

    • Restrictions of private practice

    As law officers represent government of India, there are certain restrictions which are put on their private practice. A law officer is not allowed to:

  • hold briefs in any court for any party except the Government of India or the government of a State or any University, Government School or College, local authority, Public Service Commission, Port Trust, Port Commissioners, Government aided or Government managed hospitals, a Government company, any Corporation owned or controlled by the State, any body or institution in which the Government has a preponderating interest;
  • advice any party against the Government of India or a Public Sector Undertaking, or in cases in which he is likely to be called upon to advise, or appear for, the Government of India or a Public Sector Undertaking;
  • defend an accused person in a criminal prosecution, without the permission of the Government of India; or
  • accept appointment to any office in any company or corporation without the permission of the Government of India;
  • advise any Ministry or Department of Government of India or any statutory organisation or any Public Sector Undertaking unless the proposal or a reference in this regard is received through the Ministry of Law and Justice, Department of Legal Affairs.

    • Fee and allowances payable

    Fee and allowances payable to the law officers (including Attorney General of India, Solicitor General of India and the Additional Solicitors General) of the Government of India are as under:

    In addition to the above fee payable for cases, a retainer fee is paid to the Attorney General of India, Solicitor General of India and the Additional Solicitors General at the rate of Rs. 50,000, Rs. 40,000, and Rs. 30,000 per month, respectively. Moreover, the Attorney General of India is also paid a sumptuary allowance of rupees four thousand per month, except during the period of his leave.

    Current Solicitor General and Additional Solicitors General

    The current Solicitor General of India and Additional Solicitors General as of 9 April 2015 are as follows:

    Former Solicitors General

    The former Solicitors General for India were as follows:

    Former Additional Solicitors General

    The former Additional Solicitor General of India are as follows:

    References

    Solicitor General of India Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA