Advocate General of a state
Also called: Article 165 · Topic: Constitutional Bodies: UPSC, CAG, Finance Commission and Others · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Advocate General is the top law officer of a state, under Article 165. They must be qualified to be a High Court judge. The Governor appoints them, and they hold office "during pleasure", which means they can be removed at any time and have no fixed term. They advise the state government on legal matters and do other legal work given to them. Under Art. 177 they can speak in the state legislature but cannot vote. Under Art. 194(4) they have the same privileges as its members.
Example
In an Art. 131 suit, where the Centre and a state take a dispute directly to the Supreme Court, the state's Advocate General may argue for the state. The Attorney General may argue for the Union on the other side.
Don't confuse with
- Attorney General (Art. 76): the Union's top law officer. They must be qualified to be a Supreme Court judge, are appointed by the President and can speak in Parliament.
- Solicitor General: not a constitutional post at all, and has no right to speak in Parliament.