New Delhi: Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi has written to the government saying he is not interested in continuing as the top law officer. Senior lawyer Harish Salve, who represented India at the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, is being tipped to succeed Mr Rohatgi.
The AG, who is on a holiday in London, said he has had fantastic relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and government officials during his three years tenure.
Mr Rohatgi was appointed for three years in 2014. His tenure was extended until further orders last week.
He has represented the government in the Supreme Court in several cases including Nati-onal Judicial Appoin-tments Commission issue, Aadhaar, triple talaq as also in Justice C.S. Karnan’s matter. The AG’s juniors told this correspondent that Mr Rohatgi had written to the government in the last week of May.
NJAC decision only regret, says A-G
Mr Rohatgi told a television channel, “Even if I return to private practice, my services will be available to the NDA government, BJP and its leaders as and when needed. My only regret as A-G was the 2015 apex court judgment striking down National Judicial Appointments Commission law. I worked for five years as law officer under the Vajpayee government and now three years under the Modi government. I want to return to my private practice. I have a good relationship with the government. That's why I wrote to government not to extend my term.”
Mr Rohatgi hails from a family of lawyers. His father, Awadh Behari Rohatgi, retired as a judge of the Delhi high court.
