When the President of India issued a notification on 26 September 2025 extending Ramaswamy Venkataramani’s term as the Attorney General for India for another two years, it was more than a bureaucratic decision: it was a reaffirmation of trust in a man known for his quiet competence, sharp intellect and unimpeachable integrity. The extension, valid until 30 September 2027, signals the Government’s faith in his ability to steer the nation through an increasingly complex and politically charged legal environment.
R Venkataramani’s journey to the highest law office of the land is a story of perseverance, scholarship and deep respect for the rule of law. Enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu in 1977, he began his career with humility and hard work, soon moving to New Delhi to practice in the Supreme Court of India in 1979. His early years were shaped by his apprenticeship under the eminent constitutional expert, late PP Rao, Senior Advocate, whose influence left a lasting imprint on his legal philosophy. By March 1982, Venkataramani qualified as an Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court and in 1997, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession, he was designated a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court.
Appointed as Attorney General for India on 28 September 2022, Venkataramani brought with him decades of experience, deep constitutional insight and a reputation for restraint and clarity. His reappointment in 2025 comes at a time when the legal challenges facing the Government are multifaceted, spanning constitutional disputes, international arbitration, political litigation, and the fast-evolving interface between law, technology and governance.
Today’s legal landscape is no longer confined to conventional courtroom arguments. It extends into the realm of governance, diplomacy and public perception. The Attorney General’s office, as the principal legal advisor to the Government of India, stands at the intersection of law and politics.
Every legal opinion or court submission has the potential to shape not only judicial outcomes but also political narratives. Venkataramani’s modesty and meticulous approach make him ideally suited for this high-stakes environment. His style, measured, reasoned and devoid of spectacle, has earned him both respect and trust in equal measure.
The coming years will test his ability to navigate the complex and often turbulent waters of Indian politics and governance. The Modi administration, though led by one of the strongest political personalities in recent memory, currently operates as a minority Government. This makes the role of the Attorney General especially critical, as he must delicately balance legal propriety with political pragmatism. In such circumstances, the Attorney General becomes more than just a lawyer; he becomes the moral compass of the administration’s legal strategy, ensuring that the pursuit of political objectives remains within the bounds of constitutional discipline.
Venkataramani’s challenge extends beyond domestic politics. On the international front, India faces increasing scrutiny over its compliance with trade pacts, investment treaties and environmental and human rights obligations. As global corporations and international bodies become more litigious, the Attorney General must not only defend India’s interests in global forums but also ensure that its legal positions align with the principles of fairness and justice that have long defined its constitutional ethos. Acting as both lawyer and diplomat, he must maintain India’s credibility abroad while safeguarding its sovereignty.
Within India, a surge of politically sensitive cases has blurred the line between law and ideology. The courts have become arenas where political battles are fought by other means. From electoral disputes and constitutional amendments to the validity of administrative actions, the Government faces legal challenges that can have profound implications for its longevity and legitimacy. Venkataramani’s calm temperament and deep constitutional grounding will be indispensable in such moments.
Many in the legal community had anticipated a change of guard at the top law office earlier this year. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, known for his aggressive courtroom style and articulate advocacy, was widely seen as the front-runner for the post.
However, sources reveal that when the decision reached the Prime Minister’s desk, Narendra Modi preferred continuity and composure over confrontation. The choice of R Venkataramani over a more flamboyant alternative reflects Modi’s instinct to rely on steady, unassuming competence, particularly crucial in a phase when legal stability underpins political survival.
Behind Venkataramani’s quiet demeanor lies a formidable intellect and an unwavering commitment to the institution of justice. Those who have worked with him describe him as a “lawyer’s lawyer”, deeply committed to the purity of legal reasoning, yet pragmatic enough to appreciate the compulsions of governance. His professional conduct, coupled with his personal simplicity, has earned him the confidence of both the judiciary and the executive. Venkatramani, since his student days, has held a reflective admiration for American legal institutions, attorneys and jurists who shaped them. Names such as John Marshall, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, Hugo Black, Earl Warren, Louis Brandeis, Benjamin Cardozo, Felix Frankfurter, William Storey, Thurgood Marshall, William Brennan, and, more recently, Antonin Scalia, represent for him a wide philosophical spectrum-where judicial reasoning is not merely technical but rooted in social conscience, moral clarity and constitutional faith.
He regards Attorney Generals like Robert F Kennedy, Elliot Richardson and Edward Levi as figures who demonstrated how law, when anchored in democratic values, can remain both principled and transformative.
For Venkatramani, the appeal of the American legal traditions lies not in replication but in the seriousness with which it attempts to balance liberty, accountability and judicial independence through interpretative discipline and institutional design. India, with its civilisational depth, constitutional vision, and the responsibility of delivering justice to over a billion people, requires legal systems that are transparent, humane and responsive to social complexity.
He has often emphasised that legal thinking must remain compassionate, historically aware, and connected to the lived experiences of ordinary citizens, rather than confined to academic abstraction. This belief continues to guide his intellectual and institutional engagements.
His aspiration is to foster thoughtful dialogue between legal cultures through comparative research programs, shared judicial training, and collaborative professional networks. Such engagement, in his view, does not weaken India’s legal identity; rather, it strengthens it by encouraging clarity, public trust and ethical responsibility.
Thus, his admiration for American juristic traditions is part of a broader commitment to renew and reinforce India’s constitutional order, ensuring it remains resilient, purposeful and deeply anchored in the rights and aspirations of its people. In an era when the credibility of the legal profession is under strain, amid allegations of politicisation, judicial activism, and media trials, the Attorney General’s role assumes symbolic importance. He is the guardian of the Government’s legal conscience, the voice that must uphold reason even in the heat of political rhetoric. For Venkataramani, this means ensuring that the Government’s actions are not merely defensible in court but also justifiable in principle.
An insider in the Government recently remarked that it is Venkataramani’s quiet professionalism and unassuming personality that have inspired the Prime Minister’s confidence. In times when the country’s legal institutions are often pulled between competing pressures from within and outside its borders, his steady hand offers reassurance.
Venkataramani’s reappointment, therefore, represents more than administrative continuity: it symbolises the Government’s faith in sobriety over showmanship, diligence over drama, and principle over personality. As India’s foremost law officer embarks on his extended tenure, the nation will look to him not only for legal guidance but also for moral steadiness amid the clamour of courtroom and political battles.
The next two years will not just define his legacy but may also shape the very contours of India’s constitutional resilience.
