The Chief of the Naval Staff is the commander and typically the highest-ranking officer in the Indian Navy. The position is abbreviated CNS in Indian Navy cables and communication. The rank associated with the position is usually that of Admiral.
The current Chief of the Naval Staff is Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, who took office on 31 August 2009.[1]
The office the Chief of the Naval Staff was created by The Commanders-In-Chief (Change in Designation) Act of the Indian Parliament in 1955, replacing the erstwhile office of the Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy.[2] The office is based at South Block in Raisina Hill, New Delhi.
Appointments to the office are made by the President of India. The Chief of the Naval Staff reaches superannuation at the age of 62.
The following table chronicles the appointees to the office of the Chief of the Naval Staff or its preceding positions since the independence of India.[3]
| Name | Term start | Term end | Decorations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hall* | August 15, 1947 | August 14, 1948 | CIE |
| 2 | Admiral Sir William Edward Parry* | August 14, 1948 | October 13, 1951 | KCB |
| 3 | Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey* | October 13, 1951 | July 21, 1955 | GBE, CB, DSO & Bar |
| 4 | Vice Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill* | July 21, 1955 | April 21, 1958 | KBE, CB, DSO |
| 5 | Vice Admiral Ram Dass Katari | April 22, 1958 | June 4, 1962 | - |
| 6 | Vice Admiral Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman | June 4, 1962 | March 3, 1966 | - |
| 7 | Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji | March 3, 1966 | February 28, 1970 | - |
| 8 | Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda | February 28, 1970 | February 28, 1973 | Padma Vibhushan, PVSM, AVSM |
| 9 | Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli | March 1, 1973 | February 29, 1976 | Padma Bhushan, PVSM |
| 10 | Admiral Jal Cursetji | March 1, 1976 | March 1, 1979 | PVSM |
| 11 | Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereira | March 1, 1979 | February 28, 1982 | PVSM, AVSM |
| 12 | Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson | March 1, 1982 | November 30, 1984 | PVSM, AVSM, ADC |
| 13 | Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani | December 1, 1984 | November 30, 1987 | PVSM, AVSM |
| 14 | Admiral Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni | December 1, 1987 | November 30, 1990 | PVSM, AVSM, NM, VSM, ADC |
| 15 | Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas | December 1, 1990 | September 30, 1993 | PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC |
| 16 | Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat | October 1, 1993 | September 30, 1996 | PVSM, AVSM, VrC, ADC |
| 17 | Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat | October 1, 1996 | December 30, 1998 | PVSM, AVSM, ADC |
| 18 | Admiral Sushil Kumar | December 30, 1998 | December 29, 2001 | PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, NM, ADC |
| 19 | Admiral Madhvendra Singh | December 29, 2001 | July 31, 2004 | PVSM, AVSM, ADC |
| 20 | Admiral Arun Prakash | July 31, 2004 | October 31, 2006 | PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC |
| 21 | Admiral Sureesh Mehta | October 31, 2006 | August 31, 2009 | PVSM, AVSM, ADC |
| 22 | Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma | August 31, 2009 | PVSM, AVSM |