Senior Advocate Vijay Narayan is set to return as Advocate General of Tamil Nadu under the newly elected Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, as reported in Bar and Bench. While Narayan is a highly experienced constitutional lawyer who previously served as Advocate General between 2017 and 2021, his reported appointment has already triggered debate in legal and political circles over possible ethical concerns and perceptions of conflict of interest.
The concerns stem primarily from Narayan’s prior role as personal counsel for Chief Minister Vijay in several legal matters, including the actor’s high-profile 2021 luxury car tax dispute before the Madras High Court. In that case, the High Court had imposed a ₹1 lakh cost while making sharp observations regarding tax exemptions sought by wealthy individuals.
Elevating a lawyer who recently represented Vijay in his personal capacity to the State’s highest law office could create questions about institutional independence, especially because the Advocate General is expected to function not merely as the government’s lawyer but also as a constitutional authority advising the State on legality, governance and public interest matters.
Yes, there is no explicit constitutional prohibition preventing a former personal lawyer from becoming Advocate General, senior advocates and private counsels frequently go on to hold constitutional posts after changes in government. However, the issue in this instance is being framed around perception, proximity and possible overlap between personal loyalty and constitutional responsibility.
Questions are also likely to arise over whether Narayan may need to recuse himself from matters involving Vijay’s past personal legal disputes, financial interests or cases connected to entities and individuals closely associated with the Chief Minister. Any future litigation involving decisions taken during Vijay’s tenure could invite scrutiny over whether the State’s top law officer can maintain sufficient professional distance from a former client who is now also the political executive head of government.
The proposed appointment as potentially reinforcing perceptions of political cronyism, arguing that the office of Advocate General should avoid even the appearance of favouritism or quid pro quo arrangements. The fact that Narayan is being appointed immediately after representing Vijay in politically sensitive litigation has intensified such criticism online.
Actor Vijay’s private lawyer Vijay Narayan
– who fought his 2021 luxury car tax evasion case
– got slapped with a ₹1 lakh fine by the Madras HCis now set to become the Advocate General of Vijay’s Government.
ETHICAL?
CONFLICT OF INTEREST?
QUID PRO QUO?
POLITICAL CRONYISM? https://t.co/jOlCt1UsTl— Sami (@SAMI_hadyh) May 12, 2026
Narayan comes from a distinguished legal family and has long-standing standing at the Bar. He is the nephew of former Attorney General KK Venugopal, grandson of eminent lawyer MK Nambiar, and grandson of Constituent Assembly member Sardar KM Panikkar. He was designated Senior Advocate in 2004 and has handled several major constitutional and commercial disputes over the years.
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