Tushar Mehta appointed as new Solicitor General of India

The Appointments Committee of Union Cabinet has approved the appointment of Tushar Mehta as the new Solicitor General of India.

• He will replace Ranjit Kumar, who had stepped down sometime back and shall hold office till June 30, 2020.
• Prior to this appointment he was Additional Solicitor General.

About Tushar Mehta:

• He had started his legal career as an advocate in 1987.
• He was designated as senior advocate by Gujarat High Court in 2007.
• He was made Gujarat's Additional Advocate General in 2008 and represented the state government led by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in many crucial cases. 
• He was appointed as Additional Solicitor General in June 2014.

Who is the Solicitor General of India?

• Solicitor General is the second highest law officer in the country.
• He is a subordinate to the Attorney General of India, the highest law officer and works under him.
• He also advises the government in legal matters.
• Solicitor general is appointed for period of three years by Appointment Committee of Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister.

Important to note:

• Office and duties of Attorney General is created by Constitution under Article 76.
• While, Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals' office and duties are governed by Law Officers (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1987 and not by Constitution (thus they are statutory posts and not constitutional).
• Moreover, attorney generals has the right to participate in the proceedings of Parliament, but cannot vote.
• Whereas, Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals do not have these rights with respect to participation in parliament.

Question:

Q. The Appointments Committee of Union Cabinet has approved the appointment of whom as the new Solicitor General of India?
a. Prakash Mehta
b. Tushar Mehta
c. Harshad Mehta
d. None of the above