Attorney-General: Chief Legal Adviser to the Union Government
Official heading: “Attorney-General for India”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part V, Article 76, printed page 35
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
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AI-assisted source comparisons are noted with the citations below; the check date remains pending until a human confirms the link. The report link opens your email app; you choose whether to send it.
1. In One Sentence
Article 76 provides for the appointment of the Attorney-General for India, who must be qualified to be a Supreme Court Judge, to advise the Union Government on legal matters and represent it in court.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 76 creates the constitutional office of the Attorney-General for India, the highest law officer in the country. The President appoints a person who meets the constitutional qualifications required to be appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court.
The primary duty of the Attorney-General is to advise the Government of India on complex legal questions, perform legal duties referred by the President, and represent the Union Government in major litigation before the Supreme Court and High Courts.
Clause (3) confers on the Attorney-General the right of audience in all courts across the territory of India. Unlike the British Attorney General, the Indian Attorney-General is not a political member of the Cabinet, but holds office during the pleasure of the President and traditionally resigns when the government changes.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a presidential reference on federal distribution of powers.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 76 establishes the principal law officer of the Republic of India.
- Qualification benchmark: Must be eligible for appointment as a Supreme Court Judge.
- Right of audience: Entitled to appear and be heard in all courts across India.
- Tenure during pleasure: Appointed and removed by the President on cabinet advice.
- Complementary role: Participates in parliamentary debates without voting rights under Article 88.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part V, Article 76, printed page 35 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.