Centre to extend Venugopal's tenure as AG for one year

New Delhi, June 28 The Centre has decided to extend the tenure of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal by one more year till June 30, 2022, sources familiar with development said on Monday.

Venugopal, 89, was appointed the Attorney General on July 1, 2017, for a three-year term following the decision of Mukul Rohatgi to step down as the top law officer.

The source added that the formal orders regarding his fresh extension would be issued soon.

The AG usually has a tenure of three years. However, when his first term was about to end last year, Venugopal had requested the government to give him an extension of one year citing his advanced age. Following his request, the Centre had last year extended the tenure by another year.

According to a source, the government has taken into account that Venugopal is handling high profile cases in the Supreme Court, and he also has vast experience in the Bar. Venugopal's current tenure ends in the next couple of days.

Venugopal is a noted Constitutional expert and the recipient of Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan awards. He had served as an Additional Solicitor General during the Morarji Desai government.

He had appeared for the CBI and the ED before the Supreme Court in the 2G Spectrum allocation scam.