In the states of India, what is the official designation of the chief legal advisor who advises the State Government in legal matters?

Introduction / Context:
Just as the central government has a top law officer, the states of India also have a chief legal advisor. This office plays an important role in advising the State Government on legal issues and representing it in courts. The question asks you to recall the exact title of this state level law officer. Understanding this helps you relate state institutions to their central counterparts in Indian polity.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The question focuses on the legal advisor to the State Government, not the Union Government.

Options include Advocate General, Attorney General, Solicitor General and State Public Prosecutor.

We assume knowledge that some of these titles are used at the Union level and others at the state level.

Concept / Approach:
Article 165 of the Constitution of India provides for the office of the Advocate General for the state. The Advocate General is appointed by the Governor and must be a person qualified to be appointed as a judge of a High Court. This office is the highest law officer of the state and parallels the Attorney General for India at the Union level. The Attorney General and Solicitor General are central law officers, while a public prosecutor primarily handles criminal prosecutions and is not the overall legal advisor for all state matters.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the question is about the chief legal advisor to the State Government. Step 2: Recall Article 165, which creates the office of the Advocate General for the state. Step 3: The Advocate General advises the State Government on legal matters and may appear in courts on its behalf. Step 4: The Attorney General for India is the equivalent office at the national level and therefore does not match the state context in the question. Step 5: Hence, the correct designation is Advocate General.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick memory trick is to remember the pair of parallel offices: Attorney General for India at the Union level and Advocate General for each state. Both are described as the highest law officers of their respective governments. If a question refers to the Union Government, you select Attorney General; if it mentions the State Government, you select Advocate General. This simple pairing confirms that Advocate General is correct here.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Attorney-General: This office exists under Article 76 and is the highest law officer of the Union Government, not of an individual state.
Solicitor-General: The Solicitor General is a law officer of the Union who assists the Attorney General but is not a constitutional office and does not serve as a state level advisor.
State Public Prosecutor: The public prosecutor represents the state in criminal cases in trial courts and does important work, but this role is more limited than that of the Advocate General and does not describe the chief legal advisor for all state legal matters.

Common Pitfalls:
Students frequently confuse the titles of Attorney General and Advocate General because they sound similar. To avoid this, focus on the prefix: Attorney is for the Union, Advocate is for the state. When revising, it is useful to connect Article 76 with Attorney General and Article 165 with Advocate General. Also remember that the Solicitor General is not a constitutional post, which further differentiates these roles.

Final Answer:
The chief legal advisor to a State Government in India is known as the Advocate-General of the state.