| Post: | Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry |
| Native Name: | புதுச்சேரி துணைநிலை ஆளுநர் పుదుచ్చేరి లెఫ్టినెంట్ గవర్నర్പുതുച്ചേരി ലെഫ്റ്റനന്റ് ഗവർണർ Lieutenants-gouverneurs de Pondichéry |
| Insignia: | Emblem of the Government of Puducherry.png |
| Insigniasize: | 200px |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of Puducherry |
| Flagsize: | 110px |
| Incumbent: | Kuniyil Kailashnathan |
| Incumbentsince: | 7 August 2024 |
| Style: | His Excellency (formal) The Honourable (informal) |
| Residence: | Raj Niwas, Puducherry |
| Reports To: | President of India Government of India |
| Termlength: | 5 Years |
| Appointer: | President of India on the advice of the Government of India |
| Inaugural: | S. L. Silam |
| Status: | Head of State (Union Territory) |
Puducherry (formerly known as "Pondicherry") is a Union Territory of India. Governance and administration of the territory fall directly under federal authority.
See also: List of consuls general of India in the French India. After the de facto transfer of French settlements in India, on November 1, 1954, a Chief Commissioner, appointed by Government of India, replaced the last Commissioner of French India, Georges Escargueil. The first High Commissioner, Kewal Singh was appointed immediately after the Kizhoor referendum, on 21 October 1954, as per Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947. The Chief Commissioner had the powers of the former French commissioner, but was under the direct control of the Union Government.[1]
The list of Chief Commissioners is given below.[2]
| Name | Portrait | Took office | class=unsortable | Left office | class=unsortable | De jure sovereignty | class=unsortable | De facto sovereignty | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 October 1954 | 16 November 1956 | France | France India | |||||
| 2 | [3] | 17 November 1956 | 27 August 1958 | India | |||||
| 3 | [4] | 30 August 1958 | 8 February 1961 | ||||||
| 4 | 2 May 1961 | 1 August 1963 | France India | ||||||
| 5 | [5] | 2 August 1963 | 13 October 1963 | India |
The Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry resides at the Raj Nivas (French: Le Palais du Gouverneur) at the Nehru Park, the former palace of the Governor General of French India. The Central government is more directly involved in the financial well-being of the territory.
After de jure transfer in 1962, the State of Pondicherry is fully and legally integrated into Indian Union. After the formation of Union territory on July 1, 1963, the Lieutenant Governor has replaced High Commissioner in Pondicherry.
Only five Lt. Governors managed to serve more than four years. They are S.L. Silam, B.D.Jatti, B.T. Kulkarni, Rajani Rai and Kiran Bedi. Only S.L. Silam completed his 5-year term. Kiran Bedi is second longest serving Lt. Governor till date. The list of Lt. Governors of Puducherry is given below.[2]
| Name | Portrait | class=unsortable | Took office | class=unsortable | Left office | Duration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Oct 1963 | 13 Oct 1968 | ||||||
| 2 | 14 Oct 1968 | 7 Nov 1972 | ||||||
| 3 | 8 Nov 1972 | 29 Aug 1976 | ||||||
| 4 | 30 Aug 1976 | 31 Oct 1980 | ||||||
| 5 | 1 Nov 1980 | 15 Apr 1981 | ||||||
| - | 16 Apr 1981 | 26 Jul 1981 | ||||||
| 6 | 27 Jul 1981 | 14 May 1982 | ||||||
| 7 | 15 May 1982 | 5 Aug 1983 | ||||||
| 8 | 2 Sep 1983 | 17 Jun 1984 | ||||||
| - | 18 Jun 1984 | 30 Sep 1984 | ||||||
| 9 | 1 Oct 1984 | 21 Jun 1988 | ||||||
| 10 | 22 Jun 1988 | 19 Feb 1990 | ||||||
| 11 | 19 Feb 1990 | 18 Dec 1990 | ||||||
| 12 | 19 Dec 1990 | 05 Feb 1993 | ||||||
| - | 06 Feb 1993 | 31 May 1993 | ||||||
| - | 31 May 1993 | 1 May 1995 | ||||||
| 13 | 2 May 1995 | 22 Apr 1998 | ||||||
| 14 | 23 Apr 1998 | 29 Jul 2002 | ||||||
| 15 | 31 Jul 2002 | 27 Oct 2003 | ||||||
| - | 27 Oct 2003 | 5 Jan 2004 | ||||||
| 16 | 5 Jan 2004 | 6 Jul 2004 | ||||||
| 17 | 7 Jul 2004 | 18 Jul 2006 | ||||||
| 18 | 19 Jul 2006 | 12 Mar 2008 | ||||||
| 19 | 15 Mar 2008 | 22 Jul 2008 | ||||||
| 20 | 23 Jul 2008 | 6 Apr 2009 | ||||||
| - | 9 Apr 2009 | 27 Jul 2009 | ||||||
| 21 | 27 Jul 2009 | 9 Jul 2013 | ||||||
| 22 | 10 Jul 2013 | 11 Jul 2014 | ||||||
| 23 | [6] | 12 Jul 2014 | 26 May 2016 | |||||
| 24 | [7] | 28 May 2016 | 16 Feb 2021 | |||||
| - | 18 Feb 2021 | 18 March 2024[8] | ||||||
| - | C.P. Radhakrishnan | 20 March 2024 | 6 August 2024 | 134 days | ||||
| 25 | Kuniyil Kailashnathan[9] | 7 August 2024 | Incumbent |