In 2017, who was appointed as the Attorney General for India, succeeding Mukul Rohatgi?

Introduction / Context:
The Attorney General for India is the highest law officer of the country and acts as the chief legal advisor to the Government of India. Appointments to this post are important current affairs topics. This question asks who was appointed Attorney General in 2017, succeeding Mukul Rohatgi.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The year of appointment is 2017.
- The outgoing Attorney General mentioned is Mukul Rohatgi.
- The options include K K Venugopal, Mukul Rohatgi, Ranjit Kumar, P P Malhotra, and G E Vahanvati.
- Only one of these was appointed as the new Attorney General in that year.

Concept / Approach:
After Mukul Rohatgi's tenure ended, K K Venugopal, a senior advocate and distinguished jurist, was appointed as the Attorney General for India in 2017. Ranjit Kumar served as Solicitor General, and G E Vahanvati had been Attorney General earlier. By matching the year and the succession from Mukul Rohatgi, one can clearly identify K K Venugopal as the correct answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Mukul Rohatgi served as Attorney General for India during the early years of the government that took office in 2014. Step 2: Remember that after he stepped down, the government appointed K K Venugopal as the next Attorney General in 2017. Step 3: Ranjit Kumar was the Solicitor General, a separate office, and P P Malhotra served as an Additional Solicitor General in earlier periods. Step 4: G E Vahanvati had been Attorney General before Mukul Rohatgi and therefore does not fit the succession mentioned for 2017. Step 5: Therefore, the correct answer is K K Venugopal.

Verification / Alternative check:
Press releases and official notifications from 2017 clearly state that K K Venugopal was appointed as Attorney General for India, replacing Mukul Rohatgi. Legal news sources and yearbooks covering that year also confirm this appointment, leaving no ambiguity.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Mukul Rohatgi: He was the outgoing Attorney General, not the new appointee in 2017.
Ranjit Kumar: Served as Solicitor General of India, which is a different post that ranks just below the Attorney General.
P P Malhotra: An Additional Solicitor General in earlier times, but never the Attorney General succeeding Mukul Rohatgi in 2017.
G E Vahanvati: Served as Attorney General before Mukul Rohatgi, not after him.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes confuse the roles of Attorney General and Solicitor General or mix up the sequence of office holders. Another pitfall is to remember an older Attorney General like G E Vahanvati or to mistakenly choose Mukul Rohatgi because his name appears in the question. Carefully reading that the question asks for the successor in 2017 helps to avoid these errors.

Final Answer:
In 2017, the post of Attorney General for India was taken over by K K Venugopal, succeeding Mukul Rohatgi.