In defence of the realm, again: Meet Mukul Rohatgi, the next AG for India

Mukul Rohatgi has fought some controversial cases. principal among these is the Aadhaar case that was challenged on grounds that its technology was a threat to privacy

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Mukul Rohatgi will be part of the government, defending a position that he has said publicly — that it is not the provenance of courts but Parliament to draft new Fundamental Rights in the Constitution.

Aditi Phadnis

5 min read Last Updated : Sep 18 2022 | 9:51 PM IST

Come October 1, Mukul Rohatgi (67) will take charge as India’s new attorney general (AG). The incumbent, K K Venugopal — who was given two one-year extensions after his term ended in 2020 — had earlier indicated he wanted to retire on grounds of health.

This will be Rohatgi’s second stint as AG. He was the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s first choice after it came to power in 2014. As AG, he won several important cases for the government, including the triple talaq case in which he argued against the practice. In 2017, he ended his three-year tenure, after which the government appointed Venugopal.

That was not the first time he worked for the government. In 1999, he was appointed additional