The Chief of the Naval Staff is the commander and typically the highest-ranking officer in the Indian Navy

Indian Navy

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...

. The position is abbreviated CNS in Indian Navy cables and communication. The rank associated with the position is usually that of Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

.

The current Chief of the Naval Staff is Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma

Nirmal Kumar Verma

Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma is the current Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, having taken office on August 31, 2009.-Early life:Born on November 14, 1950, he joined the Indian Navy at the age of 19...

, who took office on 31 August 2009.

Office of the Chief of the Naval Staff

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

Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy

Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy was the title of the commanding officer of the Royal Indian Navy from its formation in 1934 until India became a republic on 26 January 1950, when the prefix "Royal" was dropped...

. The office is based at South Block in Raisina Hill

Raisina Hill

Raisina Hill is an area of Lutyens' Delhi, New Delhi, housing India's most important government buildings, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India and the Secretariat building housing the Prime Minister's Office and several other important ministries...

, New Delhi

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

.

Appointments to the office are made by the President of India

President of India

The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...

. The Chief of the Naval Staff reaches superannuation at the age of 62.

Appointees

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.

Name	Term start	Term end	Decorations
1	Rear Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hall John Talbot Savignac Hall Rear-Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hall, CIE was a Royal Navy officer who became the first post-Independence Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Naval Staff of the Royal Indian Navy.-Life and career:... *	August 15, 1947	August 14, 1948	CIE Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
2	Admiral Sir William Edward Parry*	August 14, 1948	October 13, 1951	KCB Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
3	Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey Charles Pizey Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey, GBE, CB, DSO & Bar, DL was a Royal Navy officer who served as the last Commander-in-Chief and first Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 1951 to 1955.-Early Life and Career:... *	October 13, 1951	July 21, 1955	GBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... , CB Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath... , DSO & Bar Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
4	Vice Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill Stephen Hope Carlill Vice-Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill, KBE, CB, DSO was a Royal Navy admiral who served as the last British Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 1955 to 1958, when he was succeeded by Vice-Admiral Ram Dass Katari.-Early Life and Career:Carlill was born in Orpington, Kent, the son of Harold... *	July 21, 1955	April 21, 1958	KBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... , CB Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath... , DSO Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
5	Vice Admiral Ram Dass Katari Ram Dass Katari Ram Dass Katari was an Indian Navy Vice Admiral who served as the 5th Chief of the Naval Staff from 22 April 1958 to 4 June 1962. He was the first Indian to hold the office and succeeded the last British officer to the post, Vice Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill...	April 22, 1958	June 4, 1962	-
6	Vice Admiral Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman	June 4, 1962	March 3, 1966	-
7	Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji Adhar Kumar Chatterji Adhar Kumar Chatterji was the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from March 4, 1966 until February 28, 1970. He was the first Indian officer of the navy to hold the rank of Admiral.-Early life:...	March 3, 1966	February 28, 1970	-
8	Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda	February 28, 1970	February 28, 1973	Padma Vibhushan Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan... , PVSM, AVSM
9	Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli Sourendra Nath Kohli Sourendra Nath Kohli is a retired Indian Navy admiral who served as the 9th Chief of the Naval Staff from March 1, 1973 until February 29, 1976. Kohli served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and was responsible for the...	March 1, 1973	February 29, 1976	Padma Bhushan Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:... , PVSM
10	Admiral Jal Cursetji Jal Cursetji Jal Cursetji is a retired Indian Navy admiral who served as the 10th Chief of the Naval Staff from March 1, 1976 until February 28, 1979. Cursetji's prior commands included those as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command and the commanding officer of and...	March 1, 1976	March 1, 1979	PVSM
11	Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereira Ronald Lynsdale Pereira Ronald Lynsdale Pereira was an Indian admiral. He was the Chief of Naval Staff from 1979 to 1982. He belongs to the Pereira family of Kannur, Kerala.- References :...	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 Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani is a retired Indian Navy admiral who served as the 13th Chief of the Naval Staff from December 1, 1984 until November 30, 1987. His prior commands included those as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, FOC-IN-C of the Southern Naval...	December 1, 1984	November 30, 1987	PVSM, AVSM
14	Admiral Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni is a retired Indian Navy admiral who served as the 14th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 1 December 1987 to 30 November 1990.-Naval career:...	December 1, 1987	November 30, 1990	PVSM, AVSM, NM Nm NM, nm, nM, or Nm are common abbreviations for various terms.nm may stand for:* nanometer, an SI unit of length, equal to 10−9 m * nm , a computer program used as an aid for debugging... , VSM VSM VSM can mean:* Value Stream Mapping* Vascular smooth muscle* City University of Seattle – private college in Slovakia* Variance Shadow Map* Vector space model* Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij – railway in the Netherlands... , ADC
15	Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas Laxminarayan Ramdas Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas served as Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian navy taking the reins on November 30, 1990. He was commissioned in the Indian navy on September 1, 1953.-Career:...	December 1, 1990	September 30, 1993	PVSM, AVSM, VrC VRC VRC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:*Vaccine Research Center*Vancouver Rowing Club, formed in 1886*Vertical redundancy check*Veteran Reserve Corps*Victoria Racing Club... , VSM VSM VSM can mean:* Value Stream Mapping* Vascular smooth muscle* City University of Seattle – private college in Slovakia* Variance Shadow Map* Vector space model* Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij – railway in the Netherlands... , ADC
16	Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat Vijai Singh Shekhawat Admiral V S Shekhawat is a former Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. He was 14th Chief of Naval Staff and served as Navy Chief from September-30 1993 to September-30 1996.-External links:...	October 1, 1993	September 30, 1996	PVSM, AVSM, VrC VRC VRC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:*Vaccine Research Center*Vancouver Rowing Club, formed in 1886*Vertical redundancy check*Veteran Reserve Corps*Victoria Racing Club... , ADC
17	Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat Vishnu Bhagwat Vishnu Bhagwat is a former Chief of the Naval Staff of India. He is the first and only chief of naval staff who was sacked while still serving. It was for the first time in the history of independent India that a service headquarter had refused to implement the order of an incumbent government.-...	October 1, 1996	December 30, 1998	PVSM, AVSM, ADC
18	Admiral Sushil Kumar Sushil Kumar (admiral) Admiral Sushil Kumar , a Nagercoilite Christian from Tamil Nadu, was a Chief of Naval Staff in the Indian Navy. His Christian surname is Isaacs which he dropped as not to confuse his initial with his brother who is also in the Service...	December 30, 1998	December 29, 2001	PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, NM Nm NM, nm, nM, or Nm are common abbreviations for various terms.nm may stand for:* nanometer, an SI unit of length, equal to 10−9 m * nm , a computer program used as an aid for debugging... , ADC
19	Admiral Madhvendra Singh Madhvendra Singh Admiral Madhvendra Singh is a former chief of Indian Navy. Singh hails from Chomu in Jaipur district of Rajasthan. His father, Major General K. Bhagwati Singh was one of the first batch of the Indian Cadets passed out of the Indian Military Academy. Singh served as the 17th Chief of Naval Staff...	December 29, 2001	July 31, 2004	PVSM, AVSM, ADC
20	Admiral Arun Prakash Arun Prakash Admiral Arun Prakash PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, Indian Navy, served as Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee from 31 July 2004 to 31 October 2006...	July 31, 2004	October 31, 2006	PVSM, AVSM, VrC VRC VRC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:*Vaccine Research Center*Vancouver Rowing Club, formed in 1886*Vertical redundancy check*Veteran Reserve Corps*Victoria Racing Club... , VSM VSM VSM can mean:* Value Stream Mapping* Vascular smooth muscle* City University of Seattle – private college in Slovakia* Variance Shadow Map* Vector space model* Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij – railway in the Netherlands... , ADC
21	Admiral Sureesh Mehta Sureesh Mehta Admiral Sureesh Mehta served as Chief of the Indian Navy from 31 October 2006 until 31 August 2009. He was succeeded by Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma. He is the first service chief from India's armed forces to be born post Indian Independence. He is married to Maria Teresa Mehta and they have two...	October 31, 2006	August 31, 2009	PVSM, AVSM, ADC
22	Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma Nirmal Kumar Verma Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma is the current Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, having taken office on August 31, 2009.-Early life:Born on November 14, 1950, he joined the Indian Navy at the age of 19...	August 31, 2009		PVSM, AVSM