List of High Commissioners of India to the United Kingdom

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.

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.[1] 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.[2] Upon Indian independence, the post was given the present designation.

High Commissioners for India (1920-1947)

[3]

Name Portrait Entered office Left office Notes
Sir William Stevenson Meyer GCIE, KCSI [4] September 1920 October 1922
J. W. Bhore CBE [4] October 1922 April 1923 (acting)
Sir Dadiba Merwanji Dalal CIE [4] April 1923 December 1924 First High Commissioner of Indian origin
Sir Atul Chandra Chatterjee KCSI, KCIE [5] 1925 1931
Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra KCSI, KCIE, CBE [6] 1931 1936
Malik Sir Feroz Khan Noon KCSI, KCIE, Kt. [7] 1936 December 1941
Khan Bahadur Maulvi Sir Muhammad Aziz-ul-Haq CIE [8] December 1941 May 1943
Dewan Bahadur Sir Samuel Ebenezer Runganadhan [9] May 1943 April 1947
M. K. Vellodi CIE [10] April 1947 August 1947 (acting)

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

Source:[11]

Dominion of India (1947-1950)

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

Republic of India (1950-present)

Name Portrait Entered office Left office Notes
V. K. Krishna Menon 26 January 1950 1952 First High Commissioner of the Republic of India (from 26 January 1950)
B. G. Kher 1952 1954
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit 1954 1961
M. C. Chagla 1962 1963
Jivraj Narayan Mehta 1963 1966
S. S. Dhawan 1968 1969
Appa B. Pant 1969 1972
Braj Kumar Nehru 1973 1977
N. G. Gore 1977 1979
V.A. Seyid Muhammad 1980 1984
P. Mehrotra July 1984 December 1984
P. C. Alexander 1985 1987
Maharaja Krishna Rasgotra 1988 1990
Kuldip Nayar March 1990 November 1990
Laxmi Mall Singhvi 1991 1997
Salman Haidar January 1998 July 1998
Lalit Mansingh 1998 1999
Nareshwar Dayal 2000 2002
Ronen Sen May 2002 April 2004
Kamalesh Sharma July 2004 January 2008
Shiv Shankar Mukherjee[12][13] January 2008 August 2009
Nalin Surie[14] September 2009 August 2011
Jaimini Bhagwati February 2012 December 2013
Ranjan Mathai December 2013 December 2015
Navtej Sarna January 2016 December 2016
Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha December 2016

References

  1. ↑ "Chapter XV- The High Commissioner for India"
  2. ↑ "Chapter XV- The High Commissioner for India"
  3. ↑ Also represented British Burma until 1937, when it became a Crown Colony separate from India
  4. 1 2 3 "Chapter XV- The High Commissioner for India"
  5. ↑ "The British Empire - India and Dependencies: Government and Constitution," pg. 113, The Statesman's Year Book, 1926, Epstein. Macmillan. London 1926
  6. ↑ The Statesman's Year-Book, 71st Edition, pg 118, Macmillan & Co, 1934
  7. ↑ "The British Commonwealth - India and Dependencies: Government and Constitution," pg. 110, The Statesman's Year Book, 1938, Epstein. Macmillan. London 1938
  8. ↑ "The British Commonwealth - India and Dependencies: Government and Constitution," pg. 111, The Statesman's Year Book, 1942, Epstein. Macmillan. London 1942
  9. ↑ "The British Commonwealth - India and Dependencies: Government and Constitution," pg. 112, The Statesman's Year Book, 1946, Epstein. Macmillan. London 1946
  10. ↑ "The British Commonwealth - India and Dependencies: Government and Constitution," pg. 107, The Statesman's Year Book, 1947, Epstein. Macmillan. London 1946
  11. ↑ "Indian High Commission: Former High Commissioners of India to the United Kingdom"
  12. ↑ Times of India - "Shiv Shankar Mukherjee is India's new envoy to UK"
  13. ↑ Hindustan Times - "Warm farewell for Shiv Mukherjee"
  14. ↑ High Commission press release on appointment
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