Commandant of Indian Naval Academy

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Commandant of the
Indian Naval Academy
Vice Admiral ensign of Indian Navy.svg
Flag of the Commandant (Vice Admiral's flag)
Vice Admiral Manish Chadha.jpg
since 1 August 2025
Reports to Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command
Seat Ezhimala, Kerala, India
Website www.ina.gov.in

The Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy is the head and in-charge of all the functioning of the Indian Naval Academy. The commandant of the academy is a three-star rank officer holding the rank of vice admiral. He is supported by the deputy commandant, a two-star appointment and the heads of the Academic Wing (rear admiral principal), Training Wing (commodore rank officer) and the Admin wing (commodore rank officer). [1] The current Commandant is Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Manish Chadha who took over in August 2025.

Contents

History

The Naval Academy (NAVAC) was set up in Cochin in 1969 as a temporary institution, to train officers for the Navy. The first Officer-in-charge (OIC) was Commander Laxminarayan Ramdas. The title of the head of the institution changed to commandant in 1980. The academy moved to Goa in 1986 under Commandants Captain M.S. Bedi and Captain O.P. Bansal. [2]

In 2008, the academy moved to Ezhimala in Kerala and was re-christened the Indian Naval Academy (INA). Rear Admiral M. P. Muralidharan took over as the first commandant of INA. [3]

List of Commandants

S.NoNameAppointment DateLeft OfficeNotes
1 Captain D. Mohindra, NM , VSM September 1980March 1982 [4]
2 Captain Madhvendra Singh March 1982July 1983Later served as the Chief of the Naval Staff [5]
3 Captain M. V. KarnikAugust 1983April 1986
4 Captain M. S. BediApril 1986July 1986
5 Captain O. P. Bansal, VSM July 1986June 1987
6 Captain K. Mohan Rao, VSM July 1987July 1989Later Director General Project Seabird
7 Captain N. P. MehtaJuly 1989August 1990
8 Captain K. P. MathewAugust 1990December 1991
9 Captain Jagjit Singh Bedi December 1991June 1993Later Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
10 Commodore Nirmal Kumar Verma July 1993September 1994Later Chief of the Naval Staff.
11 Commodore N. Venugopal, VSM September 1994December 1997
12 Commodore R. F. Contractor December 1997April 1999Later Director General of the Indian Coast Guard.
10 Captain S. P. S. Cheema, NM April 1999June 2001Later served as Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff, [6] Commander-in Chief Strategic Forces Command, [7] Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command, [8] and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command [9]
13 Captain K. S. AiyappaJune 2001June 2004
14 Commodore N. N. RaoJune 2004June 2007
15 Captain M. A. Hampiholi June 2007January 2008Later served as Flag officer Commanding Western Fleet. [10]
Commandant INA, Ezhimala
16 Vice Admiral M. P. MuralidharanJanuary 2008 [n 1] September 2009First Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy at the Ezhimala campus. [12] Later served as Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG). [13]
17 Vice Admiral Anurag ThapliyalSeptember 2009 [n 2] January 2012 [14] [15] [16] Later served as Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG) [17]
18 Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan February 2012November 2013 [18]
19 Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, AVSM , VSM December 2013October 2016Later served as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
20 Vice Admiral SV Bhokare, YSM , NM October 2016February 2018Later served as Inspector General Nuclear Safety. [19]
21 Vice Admiral R. B. Pandit, AVSM February 2018June 2019Later served as Commander-in-Chief,Strategic Forces Command. [20]
22 Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, AVSM , NM June 2019July 2020Current Chief of the Naval Staff. [21] [22]
23 Vice Admiral M. A. Hampiholi, AVSM , NM July 202029 November 2021Later served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command [23]
24 Vice Admiral Puneet Kumar Bahl, AVSM , VSM 01 December 202131 December 2023 [24]
25 Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty, AVSM 15 January 202429 August 2024Current Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (PP&FD). [25]
26 Vice Admiral C. R. Praveen Nair, NM 29 August 202431 July 2025Current Controller Personnel Services. [26]
27 Vice Admiral Manish Chadha, AVSM , VSM 1 August 2025Present [27]

Deputy Commandants

The list of Deputy Commandants and Chief Instructors of the INA:

S.NoNameAppointment DateLeft OfficeNotes
1 Rear Admiral Kapil Gupta, VSM 1 November 200818 April 2011First Deputy Commandant of INA. [28]
2 Rear Admiral L. V. Sarat Babu, NM 7 June 201128 August 2012Later Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Shipyard Limited. [28] [29]
3 Rear Admiral G. V. Ravindran29 August 201230 June 2014 [28] [30]
4 Rear Admiral M. D. Suresh, NM 14 July 201429 January 2018Later Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command. [31]
5 Rear Admiral Puneet Chadha, VSM 27 March 20183 March 2019Current Additional Director General National Cadet Corps. [32]
6 Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti, VSM 4 March 201911 January 2021Current Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. [33]
7 Rear Admiral A. N. Pramod 11 January 20211 April 2022Current Flag Officer Maharashtra Naval Area. [34]
8 Rear Admiral Ajay D. Theophilus 1 April 202231 July 2023Current Flag Officer Goa Area and Flag Officer Naval Aviation. [35]
9 Rear Admiral Prakash Gopalan1 December 2023Present [36] [37]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Headquarters | INA". www.ina.gov.in.
  2. ↑ Singh 2018, p. 183.
  3. ↑ Singh 2018, p. 188.
  4. ↑ "Gallery | INA". www.ina.gov.in.
  5. ↑ "Change of guard". frontline.thehindu.com.
  6. ↑ "New Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Takes Over". pib.gov.in.
  7. ↑ "Lt Gen Amit Sharma is new commander of strategic forces". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 13 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Vice Admiral SPS Cheema takes over as FOC-in-c (South) | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  9. ↑ "Vice Admiral S.P.S Cheema new chief of Western Naval Command". Business Standard India. 31 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rear Admiral MA Hampiholi, NM Takes Over as Western Fleet Commander | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  11. 1 2 Singh 2018, p. 187.
  12. ↑ "Naval Academy bids adieu to Vice Admiral". The Hindu. 26 August 2009.
  13. ↑ "Coast Guard Officers complete Training | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  14. ↑ Anandan, S. (20 January 2012). "Naval Academy may enrol foreign trainees soon". The Hindu.
  15. ↑ "h7". sainiksamachar.nic.in.
  16. ↑ "Naval academy celebrates Independence Day". The Hindu. 15 August 2010.
  17. ↑ "Vice Admiral Tapliyal, Director General Coast Guard Commissions CG Ship 'Abhinav' | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  18. ↑ "Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan to take over as Commandant Indian Naval Academy (INA) | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  19. ↑ "Inspector General Nuclear Safety (IGNS) | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  20. ↑ "Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, AVSM, NM Assumes Charge as Commandant Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  21. ↑ "Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, AVSM, NM Assumes Charge as Commandant Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  22. ↑ Staff Reporter (28 July 2020). "New Commandant for Naval Academy". The Hindu.
  23. ↑ Staff Reporter (28 July 2020). "New Commandant for Naval Academy". The Hindu.
  24. ↑ "COMMANDANT,VICE ADMIRAL PUNEET K BAHL , AVSM, VSM". 27 December 2021.
  25. ↑ "Indian Naval Academy". twitter.com. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  26. ↑ "VICE ADMIRAL CR PRAVEEN NAIR, NM TAKES OVER AS THE COMMANDANT, INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY, EZHIMALA". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  27. ↑ "Indian Naval Academy". x.com. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 "Deputy Commandants | INA". www.ina.gov.in. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  29. ↑ "Takes over as HSL CMD". The Hindu. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  30. ↑ "Passing Out Parade held at Indian Naval Academy | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  31. ↑ "INA Deputy Commandant takes charge". The Hindu. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  32. ↑ "Rear Admiral Puneet Chadha, VSM Assumes Charge as the Deputy Commandant, Indian Naval Academy | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  33. ↑ Correspondent, Special (6 March 2019). "Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti is new INA Deputy Commandant". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 April 2023.{{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  34. ↑ "Rear Admiral AN Pramod Assumes Charge as Deputy Commandant Indian Naval Academy | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  35. ↑ "REAR ADMIRAL AJAY D THEOPHILUS ASSUMES CHARGE AS DEPUTY COMMANDANT, INA | INA". www.ina.gov.in. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  36. ↑ "Prakash Gopalan assumes Deputy Commandant of INA - Goa Chronicle". goachronicle.com. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  37. ↑ "Indian Naval Academy". twitter.com. Retrieved 8 January 2024.

Notes

  1. ↑ Promoted to the rank of vice-admiral on 18 February 2009. [11]
  2. ↑ Promoted to the rank of vice-admiral on 1 October 2009. [11]

Bibliography

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