Veteran Senior Advocate Jaju Babu Named Kerala’s Advocate General; T. Asaf Ali Reappointed Director General of Prosecution
(Judicial Quest News Network)
18 May 2026 – In a consequential reconstitution of the State’s legal leadership, the Government of Kerala has appointed Senior Advocate Jaju Babu as Advocate General and designated Advocate T. Asaf Ali as the new Director General of Prosecution.
The appointments were disclosed by Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan following his swearing-in, marking an early move by the administration to restructure the State’s principal law officers.
Senior Advocate Jaju Babu succeeds Senior Advocate K. Gopalakrishnan Kurup, who had served as Advocate General during the preceding Left Democratic Front tenure.
A counsel of marked repute at the Kerala High Court, Senior Advocate Jaju Babu brings to the office a portfolio of significant public law experience.
He previously held the post of Honorary Legal Advisor to the former Governor of Kerala, Mr. Arif Mohammed Khan, and acted as counsel to the Governor in matters arising from his statutory role as Chancellor of State universities.
That advisory role concluded in November 2022 amid a protracted constitutional contest between the State government and the Governor concerning the appointment of university Vice-Chancellors, a dispute that tested the boundaries of gubernatorial discretion and executive authority.
Beyond his work on constitutional and administrative law, Senior Advocate Jaju Babu has also served as the designated standing counsel for Kochi Metro Rail Limited, representing complex corporate-technical and statutory interests before the High Court.
His appointment to the Advocate General’s office is being read as an effort by the incoming administration to place an experienced advocate versed in both contentious constitutional matters and statutory representation at the helm of the State’s legal apparatus.
Assuming the post of Director General of Prosecution, Advocate T. Asaf Ali who is also an office-bearer in the Congress party will take over responsibilities previously discharged by Senior Advocate T. A. Shaji. Advocate Ali is no stranger to the prosecutorial leadership he served as Director General of Prosecution during the United Democratic Front government from 2011 to 2016, a period in which he led the State prosecution in a series of high-profile matters before the Kerala High Court. His reappointment signals continuity in prosecutorial experience and institutional memory for the State’s criminal justice administration.
Taken together, these appointments reflect the new Government’s priority to constitute a robust, experienced legal team capable of navigating matters of constitutional import, statutory interpretation, and high-stakes litigation.
Observers note that placing seasoned advocates with prior executive and prosecutorial experience in the two senior law-officer roles will shape the State’s litigation strategy and legal posture in forthcoming disputes and policy implementations.
