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.

High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom
Incumbent
Ruchi Ghanashyam, IFS
since 21 December 2018
ResidenceIndia House, London
NominatorRam Nath Kovind
Inaugural holderV. K. Krishna Menon
Formation1947
WebsiteHigh Commission of India, London., UK

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.[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)

List of former High Commissioners [11]

Dominion of India (1947-1950)

List of former High Commissioners [11]

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 Menon26 January 19501952First High Commissioner of the Republic of India (from 26 January 1950)
B. G. Kher19521954
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit19541961
M. C. Chagla19621963
Jivraj Narayan Mehta19631966
S. S. Dhawan19681969
Appa B. Pant15 September 196912 October 1972
Braj Kumar Nehru19731977
N. G. Gore19771979
V.A. Seyid Muhammad19801984
P. MehrotraJuly 1984December 1984
P. C. Alexander19851987
Maharaja Krishna Rasgotra19881990
Kuldip NayarMarch 1990November 1990
Laxmi Mall Singhvi19911997
Salman HaidarJanuary 1998July 1998
Lalit Mansingh19981999
Nareshwar Dayal20002002
Ronen SenMay 2002April 2004
Kamalesh SharmaJuly 2004January 2008
Shiv Shankar Mukherjee[12][13]January 2008August 2009
Nalin Surie[14] September 2009August 2011
Jaimini Bhagwati February 2012December 2013
Ranjan MathaiDecember 2013December 2015
Navtej SarnaJanuary 2016December 2016
Yashvardhan Kumar SinhaDecember 2016October 2018
Ruchi GhanashyamNovember 2018Incumbent[15]She is the only second Women High Commissioner to UK since 1947 after Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

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. "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. "Former High Commissioners of India to the United Kingdom". High Commissioner of India, London. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  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". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  15. "Ruchi-Ghanshyam-India's-second-woman-envoy-to-uk-since-1947". Hindustan Times.
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