Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday appointed senior counsel Ashutosh Kumbhakoni as the new Advocate General (AG).
His appointment was cleared by Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao in the evening after the State Cabinet recommended his name earlier in the day.
“The Governor has approved the appointment of Mr. Kumbhakoni as the new Advocate General,” said an official from the Raj Bhavan.
A former judge and the first AG, Mr. Kumbhakoni’s name was cleared two days after former AG Rohit Deo was elevated as judge of the Bombay High Court. Mr. Deo was formally appointed as the AG in December last year. Prior to that, Mr. Deo worked as the acting AG after Shreehari Aney resigned following a controversy over his support for statehood for Vidarbha region.
Mr. Kumbhakoni was also a judge in 2008, but resigned in six months over issues related to his seniority. He is from Solapur and was also the first associate AG of Maharashtra. In the last two-and-a-half years, he is the fourth AG.
Mr. Kumbhakoni belongs to a family of advocates, with his father and grandfather practising in Solapur. He has been representing various public bodies, electricity companies, municipal corporations (Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Ulhasnagar, Thane), Mumbai University, Health University, City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra, Anti-Corruption Bureau, and directorates of the State government. He has also been appointed as the amicus curie in many cases, including farmers’ suicide, drought situation, and noise pollution. ( With PTI inputs )
