| Santosh Trophy | |
| Year: | 1996–97 |
| Other Titles: | National Football Championship |
| Country: | India |
| Dates: | 8–19 January 1997 |
| Num Teams: | 8 |
| Winners: | Bengal |
| Count: | 27 |
| Second: | Goa |
| Scoring Leader: | Adrian Dias (4) Raman Vijayan (4) |
| Award: | Raman Vijayan (Bengal) |
| Prev Season: | 1995–96 |
| Next Season: | 1997–98 |
The 1996–97 Santosh Trophy, also known as the Bharat Petroleum Santosh Trophy for sponsorship reasons, was the 53rd edition of the Santosh Trophy, the main State competition for football in India. It was held from 8 to 19 January 1997 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. In the final, Bengal beat Goa 1–0 in a repeat of the previous edition's final.[1]