India has been without a Solicitor General for three months now.

Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar had resigned from the post of Solicitor General on October 20 last year. More than three months down the line, the Central government is yet to appoint someone to that post.

Kumar was appointed Solicitor General in 2014 after the BJP government came to power. He had represented the Central government in many important cases in the Supreme Court.

Kumar had got an ad-hoc extension of tenure in June last year along with former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi. Rohatgi, had, however, resigned from office subsequently, to resume his private practice with KK Venugopal taking his place.

Subsequently, Kumar also resigned amid rumours that he would be elevated to the Bench.

After Kumar’s resignation, the Additional Solicitor Generals have been appearing for the Central government in important cases before the Supreme Court.

While rumours are abound about the reasons for the delay in appointment of Solicitor General, many important cases in Supreme Court are being defended by the ASGs, particularly ASG Tushar Mehta and Maninder Singh.

Interestingly, as per sources while one section of the ruling dispensation has thrown its weight behind one particular ASG to take over as SG, this has not gone down well with the other law officers.

Since, the post of Solicitor General is not a Constitutional post like the Attorney General, and considering the fact that there is a tussle within the government when it comes to appointment of law officers, the appointment of a new Solicitor General might see further delay.