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Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry
Emblem of the Government of Puducherry.png
Emblem of Puducherry
K Kailashnathan.jpg
Incumbent
Kuniyil Kailashnathan

since 7 August 2024
Style His Excellency (formal)
The Honourable (informal)
Reports to President of India
Government of India
Residence Raj Niwas, Puducherry
Appointer President of India on the advice of the Government of India
Term length 5 Years
Inaugural holder S. L. Silam
Formation 14 October 1963
(61 years ago)
 (1963-10-14)

Puducherry, once known as "Pondicherry," is a special area in India called a Union Territory. This means it is governed directly by the central government of India, not by its own state government like other Indian states.

Understanding Puducherry's Leaders

Puducherry has a long history of different leaders. Over time, the title of the person in charge has changed as the territory's ownership shifted. Let's explore the different types of leaders who have governed Puducherry.

Early Leaders: French Rule

For many years, Puducherry was under French control. During this time, the top officials were called Commissioners and later Governors. They were in charge of the French settlements in India.

French Commissioners (1668–1699)

These were some of the first leaders when the French arrived.

  • François Caron, 1668–1672
  • François Baron, 1672–1681
  • François Martin, 1681 – November 1693
  • Dutch occupation, September 1693 – September 1699 — The Dutch took control for a few years.

French Governors (1699–1947)

After the Dutch left, the French continued to govern. The main leader was often called the Governor of Pondicherry.

Quai Duplex at Strand Road Chandernagor
Quai Dupleix at Strand Road Chandernagor
Chandernagor Government Place and Covent
Chandernagore Government House and Convent
  • François Martin, September 1699 – 31 December 1706
  • Pierre Dulivier (Acting), January 1707 – July 1708
  • Guillaume André d'Hébert, 1708–1712
  • Pierre Dulivier, 1713–1715
  • Guillaume André d'Hébert, 1715–1718
  • Pierre André Prévost de La Prévostière, August 1718 – 11 October 1721
  • Pierre Christoph Le Noir (Acting), 1721–1723
  • Joseph Beauvollier de Courchant, 1723–1726
  • Pierre Christoph Le Noir, 1727–1734
  • Pierre Benoît Dumas, 1735–1741
  • Joseph François Dupleix, 14 January 1742 – 15 October 1754
  • Charles Godeheu, Le commissaire (Acting), 15 October 1754 – 1754
  • Georges Duval de Leyrit, 1756–1758
  • Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally, 1758 – January 1761
  • First British occupation, January 15, 1761 – June 25, 1765 — The British took control for a while.
  • Jean Law de Lauriston, 1765–1766
  • Antoine Boyellau (Acting), 1766–1767
  • Jean Law de Lauriston, 1767 – January 1777
Chandernagor Government House
Chandernagor Government House
  • Second British occupation, 1778 – 1783 — The British took control again.
  • Guillaume de Bellecombe, January 1777 – 1778
  • Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau, 1783–1785
  • François de Souillac, 1785
  • David Charpentier de Cossigny, October 1785 – 1787
  • Thomas Conway, October 1787 – 1789
  • Camille Charles Leclerc, Chevalier de Fresne, 1789–1792
  • Dominique Prosper de Chermont, November 1792 – 1793
  • L. Leroux de Touffreville, 1793
  • Third British occupation, 23 August 1793 – 18 June 1802 — Another period of British control.
  • Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen, 18 June 1802 – August 1803
  • Louis Binot, 1803
  • Fourth British occupation, August 1803 – 26 September 1816 — The British were in charge one more time.
  • Comte Dupuy, 26 September 1816 – October 1825
  • Joseph Cordier, Marie Emmanuel (Acting), October 1825 – 19 June 1826
  • Eugène Desbassayns de Richemont, 1826 – 2 August 1828
  • Joseph Cordier, Marie Emmanuel (Acting), 2 August 1828 – 11 April 1829
  • Auguste Jacques Nicolas Peureux de Mélay, 11 April 1829 – 3 May 1835
  • Hubert Jean Victor, Marquis de Saint-Simon, 3 May 1835 – April 1840
  • Paul de Nourquer du Camper, April 1840 – 1844
  • Louis Pujol, 1844–1849
  • Hyacinthe Marie de Lalande de Calan, 1849–1850
  • Philippe Achille Bédier, 1851–1852
  • Raymond de Saint-Maur, August 1852 – April 1857
  • Alexandre Durand d'Ubraye, April 1857 – January 1863
  • Napoléon Joseph Louis Bontemps, January 1863 – June 1871
  • Antoine-Léonce Michaux, June 1871 – November 1871
  • Pierre Aristide Faron, November 1871 – 1875
  • Adolph Joseph Antoine Trillard, 1875–1878
  • Léonce Laugier, February 1879 – April 1881
  • Théodore Drouhet, 1881 – October 1884
  • Étienne Richaud, October 1884 – 1886
  • Édouard Manès, 1886–1888
  • Georges Jules Piquet, 1888–1889
  • Louis Hippolyte Marie Nouet, 1889–1891
  • Léon Émile Clément-Thomas, 1891–1896
  • Louis Jean Girod, 1896 – February 1898
  • François Pierre Rodier, February 1898 – 11 January 1902
  • Louis Pelletan (Acting), 11 January 1902
  • Victor Louis Marie Lanrezac, 1902–1904
  • Philema Lemaire, August 1904 – April 1905
  • Joseph Pascal François, April 1905 – October 1906
  • Gabriel Louis Angoulvant, October 1906 – 3 December 1907
  • Adrien Jules Jean Bonhoure, 1908–1909
  • Ernest Fernand Lévecque, 1909 – 9 July 1910
  • Alfred Albert Martineau, 9 July 1910 – July 1911
  • Pierre Louis Alfred Duprat, July 1911 – November 1913
  • Alfred Albert Martineau, November 1913 – 29 June 1918
  • Pierre Étienne Clayssen (Acting), 29 June 1918 – 21 February 1919
  • Louis Martial Innocent Gerbinis, 21 February 1919 – 11 February 1926
  • Henri Léo Eugène Lagroua (Acting), 11 February 1926 – 5 August 1926
  • Pierre Jean Henri Didelot, 1926–1928
  • Robert Paul Marie de Guise, 1928–1931
  • François Adrien Juvanon, 1931–1934
  • Léon Solomiac, August 1934 – 1936
  • Horace Valentin Crocicchia, 1936–1938
  • Louis Alexis Étienne Bonvin, 26 September 1938 – 1945
  • Nicolas Ernest Marie Maurice Jeandin, 1945–1946
  • Charles François Marie Baron, 20 March 1946 – 20 August 1947

In 1946, French India became an Overseas territory of France.

Commissioners (1947–1954)

These Commissioners served during the final years of French rule before Puducherry joined India.

  • Charles François Marie Baron, 20 August 1947 – May 1949
  • Charles Chambon, May 1949 – 31 July 1950
  • André Ménard, 31 July 1950 – October 1954
  • Georges Escargueil, October 1954 – 1 November 1954

In 1954, French India officially became part of the Republic of India.

Transition to India: High Commissioners

After Puducherry joined India, a new type of leader was appointed: the High Commissioner. This person had similar powers to the old French Commissioner but reported directly to the Indian government.

No. Name Portrait Took office Left office De jure
sovereignty
De facto
sovereignty
1 Singh, KewalKewal Singh No image available.svg 21 October 1954 16 November 1956 France France
(Until Nov 1 1954)
India
(Since Nov 1 1954)
2 Kripalani, M.K.M.K. Kripalani No image available.svg 17 November 1956 27 August 1958 India
3 Singh, Lal Ram SaranLal Ram Saran Singh No image available.svg 30 August 1958 8 February 1961
4 Dutta, Sisir KumarSisir Kumar Dutta No image available.svg 2 May 1961 1 August 1963 France
(Until Aug 16 1962)
India
(Since Aug 16 1962)
5 Somasundaram, K.J.K.J. Somasundaram No image available.svg 2 August 1963 13 October 1963 India

Lieutenant Governors: Today's Leaders

Since July 1, 1963, Puducherry has been a Union Territory, and the High Commissioner was replaced by the Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor lives at the Raj Niwas, which was once the palace of the French Governor General. The central government of India plays a big role in supporting Puducherry financially.

Only a few Lieutenant Governors have served for more than four years. S.L. Silam was the only one to complete a full five-year term. Kiran Bedi served the second longest term.

Here is a list of the Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry:

No. Name Portrait Took office Left office Duration
1 Silam, S.L.S.L. Silam No image available.svg 14 Oct 1963 13 Oct 1968 4 years, 365 days
2 Jatti, B.D.B.D. Jatti B.D Jatti (cropped).png 14 Oct 1968 7 Nov 1972 4 years, 24 days
3 , ChhedilalChhedilal Chhedilal.jpg 8 Nov 1972 29 Aug 1976 3 years, 295 days
4 Kulkarni, B.T.B.T. Kulkarni No image available.svg 30 Aug 1976 31 Oct 1980 4 years, 62 days
5 Vyas, Ram KishoreRam Kishore Vyas No image available.svg 1 Nov 1980 15 Apr 1981 165 days
- Ali, Sri SadiqSri Sadiq Ali No image available.svg 16 Apr 1981 26 Jul 1981 101 days
6 Haldipur, R.N.R.N. Haldipur No image available.svg 27 Jul 1981 14 May 1982 291 days
7 Chandy, K.M.K.M. Chandy Prof.K.M.Chandy.jpg 15 May 1982 5 Aug 1983 1 year, 82 days
8 Rao, Kona PrabhakaraKona Prabhakara Rao No image available.svg 2 Sep 1983 17 Jun 1984 289 days
- Khurana, S.L.S.L. Khurana No image available.svg 18 Jun 1984 30 Sep 1984 104 days
9 Tewary, Tribhuvan PrasadTribhuvan Prasad Tewary No image available.svg 1 Oct 1984 21 Jun 1988 3 years, 264 days
10 Dyal, Ranjit SinghRanjit Singh Dyal No image available.svg 22 Jun 1988 19 Feb 1990 1 year, 242 days
11 , ChandrawatiChandrawati No image available.svg 19 Feb 1990 18 Dec 1990 302 days
12 Singh, Har SwarupHar Swarup Singh No image available.svg 19 Dec 1990 05 Feb 1993 2 years, 48 days
- Singh, Bishma NarainBishma Narain Singh 06 Feb 1993 31 May 1993 2 years, 84 days
- Channa Reddy, MarriMarri Channa Reddy DrMChannaReddy (cropped).jpg 31 May 1993 1 May 1995 1 year, 335 days
13 Bajpai, Rajendra KumariRajendra Kumari Bajpai Rajendra Kumari Bajpai Lok Sabha photo.jpg 2 May 1995 22 Apr 1998 2 years, 355 days
14 Rai, RajaniRajani Rai No image available.svg 23 Apr 1998 29 Jul 2002 4 years, 97 days
15 Malkani, K. R.K. R. Malkani No image available.svg 31 Jul 2002 27 Oct 2003 1 year, 88 days
- Rama Mohan Rao, P.S.P.S. Rama Mohan Rao No image available.svg 27 Oct 2003 5 Jan 2004 70 days
16 Jha, Nagendra NathNagendra Nath Jha No image available.svg 5 Jan 2004 6 Jul 2004 183 days
17 Lakhera, M. M.M. M. Lakhera Lieutenant General M.M. Lakhera (cropped).jpg 7 Jul 2004 18 Jul 2006 2 years, 11 days
18 Mithi, MukutMukut Mithi Mukut Mithi.jpg 19 Jul 2006 12 Mar 2008 1 year, 237 days
19 Singh, BhopinderBhopinder Singh No image available.svg 15 Mar 2008 22 Jul 2008 129 days
20 Gurjar, Govind SinghGovind Singh Gurjar Govind Singh Gurjar.JPG 23 Jul 2008 6 Apr 2009 257 days
- Barnala, Surjit SinghSurjit Singh Barnala H E Shri Surjit Singh Barnala.jpg 9 Apr 2009 27 Jul 2009 109 days
21 Singh, IqbalIqbal Singh Iqbal Singh (politician).jpg 27 Jul 2009 9 Jul 2013 3 years, 347 days
22 Kataria, VirendraVirendra Kataria Virendra Kataria Ji at Agra.jpg 10 Jul 2013 11 Jul 2014 1 year, 1 day
23 Singh, A. K.A. K. Singh The Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Lt. Gen. A.K. Singh in New Delhi on June 15, 2015 (cropped).jpg 12 Jul 2014 26 May 2016 1 year, 319 days
24 Bedi, KiranKiran Bedi Dr. Kiran Bedi in 2017 (cropped).jpg 28 May 2016 16 Feb 2021 4 years, 264 days
- Soundararajan, TamilisaiTamilisai Soundararajan
(additional charge)
Tamilisai Soundarajan with President Kovind (cropped).jpg 18 Feb 2021 18 March 2024 3 years, 30 days
- C.P. Radhakrishnan
(additional charge)
Governor of Jharkhand Radhakrishnan.jpg 20 March 2024 6 August 2024 134 days
25 Kuniyil Kailashnathan K Kailashnathan.jpg 7 August 2024 Incumbent 352 days

See also

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