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High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom
Emblem of India.svg
Vikram Doraiswami 2022.jpg
Incumbent
Vikram Doraiswami, IFS

since 22 September 2022
Residence India House, London
Nominator Droupadi Murmu
Inaugural holder V. K. Krishna Menon
Formation 1947
Website High Commission of India, London., UK

The High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom is the head of the High Commission of India to the United Kingdom. The High Commission is located at India House in London.

History

In 1919, a committee chaired by the Marquess of Crewe determined there existed the need to separate the agency work of the India Office from its other political and administrative roles, and recommended the transfer of all such work to "a High Commissioner for India or some similar Indian Governmental Representative in London." It was also felt popular opinion in India would view this as a step towards full Dominion status for India. The Government of India Act that same year upheld the recommendations of the committee, making provision for "the appointment of a High Commissioner by His Majesty by Order in Council, which might delegate to the official any of the contractual powers of the Secretary of State [for India] in Council, and prescribe the conditions under which he should act on behalf of the Government of India or any Provincial Government."

On 13 August 1920, King-Emperor George V issued the required Order in Council. Until India became independent in 1947, the post was styled High Commission for India. The first High Commissioner for India was Indian Civil Service officer Sir William Stevenson Meyer; the first of Indian origin was Sir Dadiba Merwanji Dalal. The High Commissioner enjoyed the same status as his counterparts from the British Dominions. Upon Indian independence, the post was given the present designation.

High Commissioners for India (1920–1947)

List of High Commissioner for India

Name Portrait Assumed office Left office Notes
Sir William Stevenson Meyer GCIE, KCSI September 1920 October 1922
J. W. Bhore CBE October 1922 April 1923 (acting)
Sir Dadiba Merwanji Dalal CIE April 1923 December 1924 First High Commissioner of Indian origin
Sir Atul Chandra Chatterjee KCSI, KCIE 1925 1931
Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra KCSI, KCIE, CBE 1931 1936
Malik Sir Feroz Khan Noon KCSI, KCIE, Kt. Feroz Khan Noon.jpg 1936 December 1941
Khan Bahadur Maulvi Sir Muhammad Aziz-ul-Haq CIE December 1941 May 1943
Dewan Bahadur Sir Samuel Ebenezer Runganadhan May 1943 April 1947
M. K. Vellodi CIE April 1947 August 1947 (acting)

High Commissioners of India to the United Kingdom (1947–present)

List of former High Commissioners

Dominion of India (1947-1950)

List of former High Commissioners

Name Portrait Assumed office Left office Notes
V. K. Krishna Menon Krishna Menon.jpg August 1947 26 January 1950

Republic of India (1950-present)

Name Portrait Assumed office Left office Notes
V. K. Krishna Menon Krishna Menon.jpg 26 January 1950 1952 First High Commissioner of the Republic of India (from 26 January 1950)
B. G. Kher BG Kher 1989 stamp of India (cropped).jpg 1952 1954 Second Prime Minister of Bombay.
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit 1965b.jpg 1954 1961 First woman President of the United Nations General Assembly.
M. C. Chagla President John F. Kennedy with Ambassador of India, Mohamed Ali Currim Chagla.jpg 1962 1963 Earlier Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.
Jivraj Narayan Mehta Jivraj Mehta.jpg 1963 1966 First Chief Minister of Gujarat.
S. S. Dhawan 1968 1969
Appa B. Pant 15 September 1969 12 October 1972
Braj Kumar Nehru Braj Kumar Nehru.gif 1973 1977 Earlier Ambassador of India to the United States. Served as Governor of seven Indian states over two decades.
N. G. Gore Narayan Ganesh Gore 1998 stamp of India.jpg 1977 1979
V.A. Seyid Muhammad 1980 1984
P. Mehrotra July 1984 December 1984
P. C. Alexander 1985 1987 Later Governor of Tamil Nadu and Governor of Maharashtra.
Maharaja Krishna Rasgotra Rasgotra.jpg 1988 1990 Later Foreign Secretary of India.
Kuldip Nayar Kuldip Nayar-2.jpg March 1990 November 1990
Laxmi Mall Singhvi Laxmi Mall Singhvi 2008 stamp of India.jpg 1991 1997 Second longest tenure after K. V. Krishna Menon.
Salman Haidar January 1998 July 1998 Later Foreign Secretary of India.
Lalit Mansingh Lalit Mansingh.jpg 1998 1999 Later Foreign Secretary of India.
Nareshwar Dayal 2000 2002
Ronen Sen Defense.gov News Photo 070716-D-9880W-084 (cropped).jpg May 2002 April 2004 Later Ambassador of India to the United States.
Kamalesh Sharma Commonwealth Secretary-General (cropped).jpg July 2004 January 2008 Later Commonwealth Secretary-General.
Shiv Shankar Mukherjee January 2008 August 2009
Nalin Surie Nalin Surie, Indian High Commissioner (4662715377) (cropped).jpg September 2009 August 2011
Jaimini Bhagwati HE Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, High Commissioner of India to the UK (8250197914) (cropped).jpg February 2012 December 2013
Ranjan Mathai Ranjan Mathai.jpg December 2013 December 2015 Later Foreign Secretary of India.
Navtej Sarna Navtej Singh Sarna Michael Linhart (21650466478).jpg January 2016 December 2016 Later Ambassador of India to the United States.
Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha YashvardhanKumarSinha.jpg December 2016 October 2018 Current Chief Information Commissioner of India.
Ruchi Ghanashyam Ruchi Ghanashyam India's High Commissioner to the UK (sq cropped).jpg November 2018 2 June 2020 She is the only second Woman High Commissioner to UK since 1947 after Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Gaitri Issar Kumar 3 June 2020 30 June 2022
Vikram Doraiswami Vikram Doraiswami 2022.jpg 22 September 2022 Incumbent
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