List of Indian flags

This is a list of flags used in India by various organizations.

National flag

Governmental flag

Supreme Court

Ensigns

Naval

Port authorities

Military flags

Indian Army

Indian Navy

Current rank flags (2022-present)

Former rank flags (1950-2001; 2004-2022)

Former rank flags (2001-2004)

Indian Air Force

Current rank flags (1980-present)

Former rank flags (till 2023)

Former rank flags (1950-1980)

The former IAF rank flags were modeled on those of the Royal Air Force, with different colours.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1950–1980	Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Never used.
	1950–1980	Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue bordered with two thick golden yellow stripes and with two thick horizontal green stripes in the center.
	1950–1980	Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue flag bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with one thick horizontal green stripe in the center.
	1950–1980	Air Vice Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue flag bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with two thin horizontal green stripes in the center.
	1950–1980	Air Commodore of the Indian Air Force	Swallowtail sky blue pennant bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with one thin horizontal green stripe in the center.
	1950–1980	Group Captain of the Indian Air Force	Triangular sky blue pennant bordered in golden yellow, with one thick horizontal green stripe in the center.
	1950–1980	Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force	Triangular sky blue pennant bordered in golden yellow, with two thin horizontal green stripes in the center.
	1950–1980	Squadron Leader of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue flag bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with one thin horizontal green stripe in the center surmounted by an eagle in green. Below the stripe is the squadron number.

Coast Guard

Paramilitary forces

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Assam Rifles
		Flag of Rashtriya Rifles
		Flag of Central Reserve Police Force
		Flag of Central Industrial Security Force
		Flag of Railway Protection Force	-
		Flag of Border Security Force
		Flag of Sashastra Seema Bal
		Flag of Indo-Tibetan Border Police
		Flag of National Security Guard
		Flag of Special Protection Group

Other agencies

Former Flags of Indian Armed Forces

State and union territory flags

At present there are no officially recognised flags for individual states and union territories of India. No legal prohibitions to prevent states adopting distinctive flags exist in either the Emblems and Names Act, 1950 or the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. In a 1994 case before the Supreme Court of India, S. R. Bommai v. Union of India, the Supreme Court declared that there is no prohibition in the Constitution of India for a state to have its own flag. However, a state flag should not dishonour the national flag. The Flag code of India also permits other flags to be flown with the Flag of India, but not on the same flag pole or in a superior position to the national flag.

Former official state flags

The state of Jammu and Kashmir had an officially recognised state flag between 1952 and 2019 under the special status granted to the state by Article 370 of the Constitution of India.

Flag	State	Usage date	Description
	Jammu and Kashmir	1947–1952	The flag was red with a plough in the centre. The red background stood for labour and the plough stood for agriculture. The ratio of the flag was 3:2.
	Jammu and Kashmir	1952–2019	The flag was red with three white vertical stripes in the hoist and a plough in the fly. The red background stood for labour, the stripes stood for the three administrative divisions of the state and the plough stood for agriculture. The ratio of the flag was 3:2.

Proposed state flags

Flags have been proposed for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, but neither were officially adopted.

Flag	State	Date	Use	Description
	Tamil Nadu	Proposed in 1970	The Government of Tamil Nadu proposed a design for a state flag in 1970.	Grey flag with the flag of India in the canton and the Emblem of Tamil Nadu in the fly.
	Karnataka	Proposed in 2018	The Government of Karnataka proposed a design for a state flag in 2018.	Yellow, white and red tricolour with the Emblem of Karnataka centred on the white band.

Banners of the states and union territories

When a distinctive banner is required to represent a state or union territory, the emblem of the state or union territory is usually displayed on a white or blue field.

Historical flags

Dominion of India

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1947–1950	Flag of the Dominion of India	A horizontal tricolour of saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra.
	1947–1950	Flag of the governor-general of India	Dark blue field emblazoned with the royal crest, beneath which was the word 'India' in gold majuscules. Similar to flags used by other Governors-General of Commonwealth realms.
	1947–present	National flag of India	A horizontal tricolour of saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra.