The Chief Of The Naval Staff, is the head of Navy headquarter and the Chief of staff of the Indian Navy. He is the highest ranking officer of the Indian Navy and is also known as “the Navy Chief”. The CNS serves solely to the Indian Armed Forces and the most senior admiral on active duty unless the Chief Of Defence Staff is also a Navy Officer.
The Chief Of Naval Staff both the President and the Prime Minister Of India on naval affairs.
The current CNS is Admiral R. Hari Kumar.

History
The head of the Navy was designated the “Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy“, after the Independence of India. It was redesignated to Chief Of Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief Of, Royal Indian Navy on 21 June 1948.
The designation of “Royal” was dropped after India became a republic on 26 January 1950.
After the “Commander-in-Chief Act, 1955” the designation for the head of the Navy became The “Chief Of Naval Staff”.
Until 1968, the designation was held by three-star rank Vice Admiral and after 1968 it was upgraded to four-star rank full Admiral.
Here’s the list of Commander in Chief, Royal Indian Navy :-
Name | Took Office | Left Office | Time in Office |
Rear Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hall | 15 August 1947 | 29 February 1958 | 198 Days |
Here’ the list of Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy:-
Name | Took Office | Left Office | Time in Office |
Rear Admiral John Talbot Savignac Hal | 1 March 1948 | 14 August 1948 | 166 Days |
Vice Admiral William Edward Parry | 14 August 1948 | 25 January 1950 | 1 Year and 164 Days |
Here’s the list of Chief Of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy :-
Name | Took Office | Left Office | Time in Office |
Vice Admiral William Edward Parry | 26 January 1950 | 13 October 1951 | 1 Year and 260 Days |
Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey | 13 October 1951 | 31 March 1955 | 3 Years and 169 Days |
Here’s the list of Chief of Naval Staff :-
Name | Took Office | Left Office | Time in Office |
Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey | 1 April 1955 | 21 July 1955 | 111 Days |
Vice Admiral Sir Stephen Hope Carlill | 21 July 1955 | 21 April 1958 | 2 Years and 274 Days |
Vice Admiral Ram Dass Katari | 22 April 1958 | 4 June 1962 | 4 Years and 43 Days |
Vice Admiral Bhaskar Sadashiv Soman | 4 June 1962 | 3 March 1966 | 3 Years and 272 Days |
Admiral Adhar Kumar Chatterji | 3 March 1966 | 28 February 1970 | 3 Years and 362 Days |
Admiral Sardari Lal Mathradas Nanda | 28 February 1970 | 28 February 1973 | 3 Years |
Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli | 1 March 1973 | 29 February 1976 | 2 Years and 365 Days |
Admiral Jal Cursetji | 1 March 1976 | 1 March 1979 | 3 Years |
Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereira | 1 March 1979 | 28 February 1982 | 2 Years and 364 Days |
Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson | 1 March 1982 | 30 November 1984 | 2 Years and 274 Days |
Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani | 1 December 1984 | 30 November 1987 | 2 Years and 364 Days |
Admiral Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni | 1 December 1987 | 30 November 1990 | 2 Years and 364 Days |
Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas | 1 December 1990 | 30 September 1993 | 2 Years and 303 Days |
Admiral Vijay Singh Shekhawat | 1 October 1993 | 30 September 1996 | 2 Years and 365 Days |
Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat | 1 October 1996 | 30 December 1998 | 2 Years and 90 Days |
Admiral Sushil Kumar | 30 December 1998 | 29 December 2001 | 2 Years and 364 Days |
Admiral Madhvendra Singh | 29 December 2001 | 31 July 2004 | 2 Years and 215 Days |
Admiral Arun Prakash | 31 July 2004 | 31 October 2006 | 2 Years and 215 Days |
Admiral Sureesh Mehta | 31 October 2006 | 31 August 2009 | 2 Years and 304 Days |
Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma | 31 August 2009 | 31 August 2012 | 3 Years |
Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi | 31 August 2012 | 26 February 2014 | 1 Years and 179 Days |
Admiral Robin K. Dhowan | 26 February 2014 | 31 May 2016 | 2 Years and 34 Days |
Admiral Sunil Lanba | 31 May 2016 | 31 May 2019 | 3 Years |
Admiral Karambir Singh | 31 May 2019 | 30 November 2021 | 2 Years and 183 Days |
Admiral R. Hari Kumar | 30 November 2021 | Active Service | Active service |