R. Venkataramani
R. Venkataramani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 14th Attorney-General for India | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Droupadi Murmu |
| Preceded by | K. K. Venugopal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 April 1950 |
| Spouse | Vijayalakshmi Venkataramani |
| Alma mater | Loyola College Madras University |
R. Venkataramani (born 13 April 1950) is an Indian constitutional lawyer and a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India. He is currently serving as the 16th Attorney-General for India.[1] He has served as a Member, Law Commission of India in 2010 and 2013.[2]
Early life and career
[edit]Venkataramani was born on 13 April 1950 in Pondicherry. He studied at Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School in Pondicherry. He graduated in Physics from Loyola College, Chennai. He then studied Law at Dr. Ambedkar Govt. Law College, Pondicherry.[3]
Venkataramani became a registered lawyer with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu in 1977 and later moved to the Supreme Court in 1979. At the Supreme Court of India, he worked at the chambers of P.P. Rao, Senior Advocate.[4] He qualified as an Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court of India in March 1982.[2] In 1997, he was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court. Throughout his career, he represented various clients, including the central government, state governments, universities, and public sector entities, in both the Supreme Court and High Court. Additionally, he was a member of the Law Commission of India in both 2010 and 2013.[5]
He has been appearing for the State of Tamil Nadu as a Special Senior Counsel for the past 12 years and also acting as Special Senior Counsel for the State of Andhra Pradesh.
Venkataramani acted as the receiver in the Amrapali case and also represented parties in the hijab row case in the Supreme Court of India. He has appeared as counsel for the Supreme Court in cases concerning the service conditions of court employees.[6]
As Attorney General for India
[edit]He was appointed as Attorney General for India by the President of India by a notification dated 28 September 2022, where his term would begin after the completion of the term of the then Attorney General for India, K. K. Venugopal.[7]
On 26 September 2025, the President of India extended his term as the Attorney General for India for a further period of two years till 30 September 2027.[8]
E20 petrol controversy
[edit]During a hearing before the Supreme Court concerning petitions related to ethanol supply allocation and the rollout of E20 petrol, several media reports and social media posts claimed that Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani had submitted that the Government's 20% ethanol-blended petrol (E20) programme was "still an ongoing experiment" and that its impact would become clearer by the following year.[9][10][11] A short video clip[12] from the hearing circulated on social media and was widely shared, contributing to public discussion regarding the Government's position on the E20 fuel policy.[13][14] On 29 June 2026, the Office of the Attorney General for India and the Central Government issued an official clarification through the Press Information Bureau, stating that reports claiming the Attorney General had described the E20 programme as an "experiment" were "completely false" and did not reflect the submissions made before the Court.[15] According to the clarification, the Attorney General had informed the bench that similar writ petitions concerning ethanol allocation to dedicated ethanol plants were pending before various High Courts and that transfer petitions were being filed so that common questions of law could be considered together, thereby avoiding parallel proceedings and conflicting decisions.[16] The clarification further stated that no submission had been made describing either the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme or the E20 blending programme as an "experiment".[17]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Senior advocate R. Venkataramani is the new Attorney General of India". The Hindu. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- 1 2 Singh, Mohit (27 October 2025). "R Venkatramani". One Law Street. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ Sinha, Bhadra (30 September 2022). "Lawyer, scholar, author, poet — why R. Venkataramani is an 'out of the box' pick to be new AG". ThePrint.
- ↑ "Who is R Venkataramani, the new Attorney General for India?". The Indian Express. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ↑ "New Attorney General Of India Is Senior Advocate R Venkataramani". NDTV.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ↑ Livemint (28 September 2022). "R Venkataramani is the new Attorney General for India: 5 facts". mint. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ↑ "New Attorney General Of India Is Senior Advocate R Venkataramani". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
- ↑ "Gazette Notification dated 26.09.2025 re-appointment of Shri R. Venkataramani, Senior Advocate as Attorney General for India w.e.f 01.10.2025. | Department of Legal Affairs, MoL &J, GoI". legalaffairs.gov.in. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ↑ "20% ethanol blending still an experiment, results by next year: Centre tells Supreme Court". The Times of India.
- ↑ "Attorney General's Office Says Its Submission Never Called the E20 Programme an 'Experiment'". Autocar Professional. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Centre denies telling Supreme Court E20 ethanol blending programme is an 'experiment', clarifies media reports". Moneycontrol. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Attorney General vs Siddharth Dave! Supreme Court Steps In on BPCL's Ethanol Policy Dispute". YouTube. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Tehseen Poonawalla Shares Video of AG Calling E20 Petrol Policy 'Experiment' in Supreme Court After Govt's Denial". LATESTLY.
- ↑ "SC orders status quo on HC ruling on enhanced ethanol allocation". Millennium Post. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Clarification regarding media reports on the proceedings in ethanol allocation matter before the Hon'ble Supreme Court". Press Information Bureau. Government of India. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Clarification regarding media reports on the proceedings in ethanol allocation matter before the Hon'ble Supreme Court". Press Information Bureau. Government of India. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Clarification regarding media reports on the proceedings in ethanol allocation matter before the Hon'ble Supreme Court". Press Information Bureau. Government of India. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.