| Post: | Lieutenant Governor of Delhi |
| Flag: | Flag of India.svg |
| Flagsize: | 110px |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of India |
| Flagborder: | yes |
| Incumbent: | Vinai Kumar Saxena |
| Incumbentsince: | 26 May 2022 |
| Style: | The Honourable |
| Residence: | Raj Niwas, Delhi |
| Appointer: | President of India |
| Seat: | Raj Niwas Marg, Ludlow Castle, Civil Lines, New Delhi |
| Termlength: | 5 years |
| Inaugural: | Aditya Nath Jha, ICS |
| Insignia: | Seal of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 150px |
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is the constitutional head of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.[1] The post was first established in September 1966, when The Delhi Administration Act, 1966 came into effect. Thus the former Delhi Legislative Assembly was replaced by the Delhi Metropolitan Council with 56 elected and 5 nominated members with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi as its head. The Council however had no legislative powers, only an advisory role in the governance of Delhi. This setup functioned until 1990, when the Assembly was reinstated; the position of Lieutenant Governor retained its role.[2] [3]
The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in Parliament of India and was passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The bill states that the Government referred to in any law to be made by the Legislative Assembly shall mean the Lieutenant Governor.
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, a former Union Home Secretary has resigned & sent his resignation letter to President of India on 18 May 2022.[4] His official residence is in Raj Niwas, Delhi.[5]
Delhi was earlier head by a Chief Commissioner who was an ICS officer.
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Duration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shankar Prasada, PPA | 1948 | 1954 | |||
| 2 | Anand Dattahaya Pandit, ICS | 1954 | 1959 | |||
| 3 | 1959 | 1963 | ||||
| 4 | 1964 | 7 September 1966 | ||||
| 5 | 7 September 1966 | 1 November 1966 |
In 1966 the Delhi Administration Act was passed which set up a Delhi Metropolitan Council with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi as its head. So far there have been 21 holders of this post, including 12 IAS officers, 4 ICS officers, 2 IPS officers, 2 senior IAF officers and 1 IFS officer backgrounds who held this post. Appointees were generally retired with the exception of Najeeb Jung who resigned from the service.List of Lieutenant Governors of Delhi
| Name | Portrait | Took office | class=unsortable | Left office | Duration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 November 1966 | 19 January 1972 | |||||
| 2 | 19 January 1972 | 23 April 1972 | |||||
| 3 | 24 April 1972 | 3 October 1974 | |||||
| 4 | 3 October 1974 | 30 March 1978 | |||||
| 5 | 30 March 1978 | 17 February 1980 | |||||
| 6 | 17 February 1980 | 30 March 1981 | |||||
| 7 | 30 March 1981 | 2 September 1982 | |||||
| (6) | 2 September 1982 | 25 April 1984 | |||||
| 8 | 25 April 1984 | Nov 1984 | |||||
| 9 | Nov 1984 | Nov 1985 | |||||
| 10 | Nov 1985 | Aug 1988 | |||||
| 11 | Aug 1988 | Dec 1989 | |||||
| 12 | Dec 1989 | Dec 1990 | |||||
| 13 | Dec 1990 | 4 May 1992 | |||||
| 14 | 4 May 1992 | 4 January 1997 | |||||
| 15 | 4 January 1997 | 20 April 1998 | |||||
| 16 | 20 April 1998 | 9 June 2004 | |||||
| 17 | 9 June 2004 | 9 April 2007 | |||||
| (15) | 9 April 2007 | 9 July 2013 | |||||
| 18 | 9 July 2013 | 22 December 2016 | |||||
| 19 | 31 December 2016 | 18 May 2022 | |||||
| 20 | Vinai Kumar Saxena[6] | 26 May 2022 | Incumbent |