List of lieutenant governors of Puducherry


Puducherry is a Union Territory of India. Governance and administration of the territory fall under the federal authority.

List

Commissioners

Governors

In the days of the French East India Company, the title of the top official was most of the time Governor of Pondicherry and General Commander of the French settlements in the East Indies. After 1816, it was Governor of French establishments in India.
French India became an Overseas territory of France in 1946.

Commissioners

French India de facto transferred to the Republic of India in 1954.

High Commissioners

The first High Commissioner, Kewal Singh was appointed immediately after the Kizhoor referendum on 21 October 1954 as per Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947. The Chief Commissioner had the powers of the former French commissioner, but was under the direct control of the Union Government.
The list of Chief Commissioners is given below
NameTook officeLeft office
121 October 195416 November 1956
217 November 195627 August 1958
330 August 19588 February 1961
42 May 19611 August 1963
52 August 196313 October 1963

Chief Commissioner (1954 1963)

NameTook officeLeft office
1circa 1947November 1949
231 November 1949June 1950
310 June 1950circa October 1953
4circa October 195321 October 1954

After the de facto transfer of French settlements in India, on November 1, 1954, a Chief Commissioner, appointed by Government of India, replaced the last Commissioner of French India, Georges Escargueil. The first High Commissioner, Kewal Singh was appointed immediately after the Kizhoor referendum, on 21 October 1954, as per Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947. The Chief Commissioner had the powers of the former French commissioner, but was under the direct control of the Union Government.
The list of Chief Commissioners is given below.
NamePortraitTook officeLeft officeDe jure
sovereignty		De facto
sovereignty
121 October 195416 November 1956FranceFrance
India
217 November 195627 August 1958FranceIndia
330 August 19588 February 1961FranceIndia
42 May 19611 August 1963France

India
India
52 August 196313 October 1963IndiaIndia

Lieutenant Governors

The Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry resides at the Raj Nivas at the Nehru Park, the former palace of the Governor General of French India. The Central government is more directly involved in the financial well-being of the territory.
After de jure transfer in 1962, the State of Pondicherry is fully and legally integrated into Indian Union. After the formation of Union territory on July 1, 1963, the Lieutenant Governor has replaced High Commissioner in Pondicherry.
Only five Lt. Governors managed to serve more than four years. They are S.L. Silam, B.D.Jatti, B.T. Kulkarni, Rajani Rai and Kiran Bedi. Only S.L. Silam completed his 5-year term. Kiran Bedi is second longest serving Lt. Governor till date. The list of Lt. Governors of Puducherry is given below.
NamePortraitTook officeLeft officeDuration
114 Oct 196313 Oct 1968
214 Oct 19687 Nov 1972
38 Nov 197229 Aug 1976
430 Aug 197631 Oct 1980
51 Nov 198015 Apr 1981
616 Apr 198126 Jul 1981
727 Jul 198114 May 1982
815 May 19825 Aug 1983
92 Sep 198317 Jun 1984
1018 Jun 198430 Sep 1984
111 Oct 198421 Jun 1988
1222 Jun 198819 Feb 1990
1319 Feb 199018 Dec 1990
1419 Dec 199005 Feb 1993
1506 Feb 199331 May 1993
1631 May 19931 May 1995
172 May 199522 Apr 1998
1823 Apr 199829 Jul 2002
1931 Jul 200227 Oct 2003
2027 Oct 20035 Jan 2004
215 Jan 20046 Jul 2004
227 Jul 200418 Jul 2006
2319 Jul 200612 Mar 2008
2415 Mar 200822 Jul 2008
2523 Jul 20086 Apr 2009
269 Apr 200927 Jul 2009
2727 Jul 20099 Jul 2013
2810 Jul 201311 Jul 2014
2912 Jul 201426 May 2016
3028 May 201616 Feb 2021
–
'		18 Feb 202118 March 2024
–C.P. Radhakrishnan
'
20 March 20246 August 2024134 days
31Kuniyil Kailashnathan7 August 2024Incumbent

Oath

“I, A. B., do swear in the name of God/solemly affirm that I will faithfully
execute the office of Lieutenant Governor of............. and will to
the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution and the law and that I will devote myself to
the service and well-being of the people of..……….”