Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar resigned from his post on October 20 citing 'personal reasons'. His one-line resignation letter reads; "due to certain personal family issues, I hereby tender my resignation with immediate effect". In legal circles, rumors have been abuzz that he is being considered for direct elevation as a Supreme Court judge. If that is the case, he may follow in Justice N. Santosh Hegde's footsteps from being Solicitor General to judge of the Supreme Court. However, it is pointed out that there was no need for a law officer to resign if his name is being considered for a judgeship. The Supreme Court Collegium is expected to meet on October 24. In June this year, Kumar was given an ad-hoc extension of his tenure. His resignation comes months after Mukul Rohatgi resigned as the Attorney General of India. Kumar was appointed the Solicitor General (SG) of India in June 2014. He replaced senior advocate Mohan Parasaran, who had tendered his resignation after the BJP-led NDA government took charge. Considered an expert in Constitutional laws, service matters, and taxation, Kumar had earlier served as counsel for the Gujarat government as well as amicus curiae in several cases in the Supreme Court before taking over as Solicitor General. Among the cases in which he represented the Gujarat government was the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.