Consider the following statements: 1. The duties of the Attorney General of India are to give advice to the Government of India upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legal character, as may from time to time be referred to or assigned to him by the President of India 2. The Solicitor General of India is the secondary Law Officer of the country, who assists the Attorney General, and is himself assisted by several Additional Solicitor Generals of India Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — C, Both 1 and 2. Statement 1 restates Article 76(2): the Attorney General advises the Government of India on legal matters and performs other legal duties assigned to him by the President. Statement 2 is also accurate — the Solicitor General of India is the country's second (secondary) law officer, who assists the Attorney General and is in turn assisted by the Additional Solicitors General. Both descriptions are correct.
- (a)1 only — Statement 2 is also correct: the Solicitor General really is the second law officer who assists the Attorney General and is helped by the Additional Solicitors General, so limiting the answer to statement 1 is wrong.
- (b)2 only — Statement 1 correctly reproduces the Attorney General's duties under Article 76, so it cannot be excluded.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Both statements are accurate — one describes the AG's duties, the other the Solicitor General's role — so 'neither' is wrong.
The Attorney General of India (Article 76) is the highest law officer of the Union. Appointed by the President, he advises the Government on legal matters and performs the legal duties assigned to him. He is assisted by the Solicitor General and the Additional Solicitors General, who are the other law officers of the Government.
Both statements read straight from the standard description. The one subtlety to note is that only the office of the Attorney General is created by the Constitution; the Solicitor General and Additional Solicitors General are statutory posts, not constitutional ones. But statement 2 only describes their rank and function, which is correct, so both statements stand.
- Attorney General of India — Article 76; highest law officer of the Union, appointed by the President.
- The AG must be qualified to be a judge of the Supreme Court and holds office during the pleasure of the President.
- The Solicitor General is the second law officer and assists the AG; the Additional Solicitors General assist further (both are statutory, not constitutional, posts).
- Under Article 88 the AG may speak and take part in the proceedings of either House of Parliament but has no right to vote.
Both statements describe these offices correctly, so the answer is 'Both 1 and 2' (option C).
- Assuming the Solicitor General and Additional Solicitors General are constitutional posts (they are statutory).
- Thinking the Attorney General can vote in Parliament — he can only speak and participate.
Asked as statement-based items on the AG's duties and the ranking of the Union's law officers.
Consider the following statements: 1. Attorney General of India and Solicitor General of India are the only officers of the Government who are allowed to participate in the meetings of the Parliament of India. 2. According to the Constitution of India, the Attorney General of India submits his resignation when the Government which appointed him resigns. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Same concept — the Attorney General and Solicitor General as the Union's law officers. UPSC 2022 tested two false claims about them (only the AG, not the SG, may speak in Parliament under Article 88; the AG's tenure is not tied to the government's resignation), a useful contrast to the two correct statements in this NDA question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Attorney General of India holds office during the:
- (a)fixed term of five years
- (b)pleasure of the President
- (c)pleasure of the Prime Minister
- (d)term of the Lok Sabha
Answer(b) pleasure of the President — the AG has no fixed tenure.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which Article of the Constitution provides for the office of the Attorney General of India?
- (a)Article 76
- (b)Article 148
- (c)Article 165
- (d)Article 324
Answer(a) Article 76 — it establishes the office of the Attorney General.