Tushar Mehta Reappointed Solicitor General; ASGs' Tenure Extended

The Union Government has officially reappointed Tushar Mehta as the Solicitor General of India for a further term of three years, commencing July 1, 2026. This significant decision, which ensures continuity in the country's second-highest law officer position, was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) and formalized through an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on June 20, 2026. In addition to Mehta's reappointment, the Centre has also extended the tenures of several Additional Solicitors General (ASGs), who represent the government in various courts across India. Five ASGs appearing before the Supreme Court have been reappointed for a further term of three years. These include Vikramjit Banerjee and K.M. Nataraj, whose fresh terms will begin on July 1, 2026. Suryaprakash V. Raju, N. Venkataraman, and Aishwarya Bhati have also been reappointed for three years, with their new terms effective from June 30, 2026. Furthermore, Chetan Sharma has been reappointed as an Additional Solicitor General for the Delhi High Court. His tenure has been extended for a period of six months, effective from July 1, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Tushar Mehta first assumed the office of Solicitor General on October 10, 2018. He has since been reappointed twice, first with effect from July 1, 2020, and again from July 1, 2023, for three-year terms each time. With this latest extension, Mehta is set to complete approximately eight years as Solicitor General and will potentially serve for a total of eleven years by the end of his new tenure, positioning him as one of the longest-serving law officers in India's history. As Solicitor General, Mehta plays a crucial role as the second-highest law officer in the country, assisting the Attorney General for India. He has represented the Union government in numerous high-profile constitutional, policy, and criminal matters before the Supreme Court and various High Courts. The continuity in his role and that of the ASGs is seen as a reflection of the government's confidence in its existing legal team and is expected to provide stability in its legal representation on a wide array of important cases. The reappointed ASGs also have a history of serving the government in key legal capacities. For instance, Vikramjit Banerjee was initially appointed as an ASG for the Supreme Court on March 5, 2018, and K.M. Nataraj on January 14, 2019, both having been reappointed in July 2023. Suryaprakash V. Raju, N. Venkataraman, and Aishwarya Bhati were first appointed as ASGs for the Supreme Court on June 30, 2020, and subsequently reappointed in June 2023. Chetan Sharma was initially appointed as ASG for the Delhi High Court on July 1, 2020, and reappointed in July 2023. These reappointments underscore the government's strategy to maintain a stable and experienced legal team to handle complex litigation involving constitutional, regulatory, and public policy issues before the Indian courts. The decisions were made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which is a powerful body responsible for high-level appointments in the Government of India. The notifications for these reappointments specify that the terms will last for three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier, providing the government with flexibility in these crucial legal positions.

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