List of Indian flags

For For the list of Indian flags before 1947, see Historical Indian flags.

For other uses, see Flag of India.

This is a list of flags used in India by various organizations.

National flag

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1947–present	National flag of India	A horizontal tricolour of saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra.

Governmental flag

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1950–1971 [1]	Presidential Standard of India	1st quarter: state emblem (the Lions of Sarnath) to represent national unity; 2nd quarter: elephant from Ajanta Caves to represent patience and strength; 3rd quarter: scales from the Red Fort, Old Delhi to represent justice and economy; 4th quarter: lotus vase from Sarnath to represent prosperity.
		Flag used by Ministry of Defence	A horizontal tricolour of red, navy blue and sky blue representing the army, navy and air force respectively.

Supreme Court

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2024– Present	Flag used by the Supreme Court of India	A blue field, bearing the new emblem of the Supreme Court in gold. The emblem contains an open book, the dome of the Supreme Court, and the Ashoka Chakra.

Ensigns

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Civil air ensign	India uses National Flag as Civil air ensign
		Civil ensign	A Red Ensign with the flag of India in the canton.
		State ensign	A Blue Ensign with the flag of India in the canton, and a yellow anchor horizontally in the fly.
		Naval Reserve (Civil and war ensign)	the Indian Blue Ensign without a yellow anchor in the fly was the Naval Reserve Ensign.

Naval

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2022–present	Indian Naval Ensign	The ensign consists of the Indian national flag on the upper canton, a blue octagon encasing the national emblem atop an anchor to depict steadfastness, superimposed on a shield with the Navy's motto “Sam No Varuna” (a Vedic mantra invoking the god of seas to be auspicious) in Devanagari. The octagon represents the eight directions and has been included as a symbol of the Navy's “multidirectional reach and multidimensional operational capability”. The golden borders of the octagon have been inspired by the seal of Maratha Chhatrapati Shivaji.
		Naval Reserve Ensign	Naval Reserve Ensign used by auxiliary ships and merchant ships whose captain is a Navy Reserve Officer.

Port authorities

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Ensign of Port of Cochin
		Ensign of Bombay Harbour Trust
		Ensign of Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta

Military flags

Indian Armed Forces

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Indian Armed Forces	A horizontal tricolour of red, navy blue and sky blue with the tri-service emblem at the centre
		Flag of the Chief of Defence Staff and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee	A red field with the flag of India in the canton, and the tri-service emblem
		Flag of the Integrated Defence Staff and Vice Chief of Defence Staff	A red field with the flag of India in the canton, There is insignia of two cross swords, an eagle, an anchor and an Ashok symbol above it

Indian Army

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Indian Army	A red field with the flag of India in the canton, and the Army badge in the fly
		Flag of the Field Marshal	A red flag with the national emblem over two crossed batons in a lotus blossom wreath.
		Flag of the Chief of the Army Staff
		Flag of the General
		Flag of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff
		Flag of the Principal Staff Officer
		Flag of the Lieutenant General

Indian Navy

Current rank flags (2022-present)

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Indian Navy	A white ensign, featuring the Flag of India in the canton, and a navy blue filled, gold-bordered octagon, enclosing the crest of the Indian Navy, located in the fly.
		Commissioning pennant of the Indian Navy	A white triangular pennant with a gold-bordered octagon enclosing the crest of the Indian Navy in the hoist.
		President's Colour of the Indian Navy	Indian Naval ensign with State Emblem of India.
		Flag of the Admiral (rank currently reserved for the Chief of the Naval Staff)	A white flag with a gold-bordered octagon enclosing the crest of the Indian Navy in the middle, and four blue stars in the hoist side.
		Flag of the Vice admiral (also Vice Chief of the Naval Staff)	A white flag with a gold-bordered octagon enclosing the crest of the Indian Navy in the middle, and three blue stars in the hoist side.
		Flag of the Rear admiral	A white flag with a gold-bordered octagon enclosing the crest of the Indian Navy in the middle, and two blue stars in the hoist side.
		Flag of the Commodore	A white flag with a gold-bordered octagon enclosing the crest of the Indian Navy in the middle, and one blue star in the hoist side.

Former rank flags (1950-2001; 2004-2022)

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1950-2001	Indian Naval Ensign	A red cross on a white field, with the Indian national flag in the canton.
	2004–2014		A red cross on a white field, with the Indian state emblem in yellow at the center, with the Indian national flag in the canton.
	2014–2022		A red cross on a white field, with the Indian state emblem in yellow at the center with the motto Satyamev Jayate below, and the Indian national flag in the canton.
	1951-2022	President's Colour	Indian Naval ensign with Presidential Standard elephant.
		Commissioning pennant	A white triangular pennant with at hoist the St. George's red cross defaced with the Ashoka Chakra.
		Flag of the Admiral (was only used by Chief of the Naval Staff)
		Flag of the Vice Admiral (also Vice Chief of the Naval Staff)
		Flag of the Rear Admiral
		Flag of the Commodore
		Flag of the Senior officer

Former rank flags (2001-2004)

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2001–2004	Flag of the Indian Navy	A blue-colored crest of the Indian Navy set upon a white background, with the flag of India placed in the canton.
	2001–2004	Commissioning pennant of the Indian Navy
	2001–2004	Flag of Admiral of the Fleet of the Indian Navy	Never used.
	2001–2004	Flag of Admiral of the Indian Navy
	2001–2004	Flag of Vice Admiral of the Indian Navy
	2001–2004	Flag of Rear Admiral of the Indian Navy
	2001–2004	Flag of Commodore of the Indian Navy
	2001–2004	Flag of Senior Officer of the Indian Navy

Indian Air Force

Current rank flags (1980-present)

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2023-	Flag of the Indian Air Force	A sky-blue ensign with the flag of India in the canton, the Air Force roundel in the lower fly, and the IAF badge in the upper fly. [2]
		President's Colour of the Indian Air Force	Air Force ensign with Presidential Standard elephant.
		Flag of the Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue flag with the badge of the IAF in the center, and 5 five-pointed gold stars in a vertical line in the fly. Only one person has ever been granted the right to this flag. [3]
		Flag of the Air Chief Marshal (rank currently reserved for the Chief of the Air Staff)	Sky blue flag with the national flag in the canton, the IAF roundel in the lower fly, the IAF badge in the upper fly, and 5 five-pointed gold stars in a vertical line in the fly.. [4]
		Flag of the Air Marshal (also Vice Chief of the Air Staff)	Sky blue flag with IAF roundel in the center surmounted by eagle; 3 five-pointed gold stars in a vertical line in the fly.
		Flag of the Air Vice Marshal	Sky blue flag with IAF roundel in the center surmounted by eagle; 2 five-pointed gold stars in a vertical line in the fly.
		Flag of the Air Commodore	Sky blue flag with IAF roundel in the center surmounted by eagle; 1 five-pointed gold star in the fly.
		Flag of the Group Captain	Flag of Sky blue triangular pennant with IAF roundel in the center surmounted by eagle.
		Flag of the Wing Commander	Sky blue triangular pennant with IAF roundel in the center.

Former rank flags (till 2023)

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1950-2023	Flag of the Indian Air Force	A sky-blue ensign with the flag of India in the canton, and the Air Force roundel in the fly. [5]
	1980-2023	Flag of the Air Chief Marshal (was only used by Chief of the Air Staff)	Sky blue flag with the national flag in the canton, the IAF roundel in the lower fly, and the IAF badge in the upper fly. [6]

Former rank flags (1950-1980)

The former IAF rank flags were modeled on those of the Royal Air Force, with different colours. ^[7]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1950–1980	Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Never used. [8]
	1950–1980	Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue bordered with two thick golden yellow stripes and with two thick horizontal green stripes in the center.
	1950–1980	Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue flag bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with one thick horizontal green stripe in the center.
	1950–1980	Air Vice Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue flag bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with two thin horizontal green stripes in the center.
	1950–1980	Air Commodore of the Indian Air Force	Swallowtail sky blue pennant bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with one thin horizontal green stripe in the center.
	1950–1980	Group Captain of the Indian Air Force	Triangular sky blue pennant bordered in golden yellow, with one thick horizontal green stripe in the center.
	1950–1980	Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force	Triangular sky blue pennant bordered in golden yellow, with two thin horizontal green stripes in the center.
	1950–1980	Squadron Leader of the Indian Air Force	Sky blue flag bordered with two thick horizontal golden yellow stripes, with one thin horizontal green stripe in the center surmounted by an eagle in green. Below the stripe is the squadron number.

Coast Guard

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Indian Coast Guard	A Blue Ensign with the Flag of India in the canton, and the Coast Guard badge in the fly
		Flag of the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard	A Blue Ensign with the Flag of India in the canton, and the Coast Guard badge in the fly

Paramilitary forces

See also: Paramilitary forces of India

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Assam Rifles
		Flag of Rashtriya Rifles
		Flag of Central Reserve Police Force
		Flag of Central Industrial Security Force
		Flag of Railway Protection Force	Link to FLAG
		Flag of Border Security Force
		Flag of Sashastra Seema Bal
		Flag of Indo-Tibetan Border Police
		Flag of National Security Guard
		Flag of Special Protection Group

Other agencies

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Territorial Army
		Flag of National Cadet Corps
		Flag of Border Roads Organisation

Former Flags of Indian Armed Forces

Main article: Historical Indian flags

State and union territory flags

Main article: List of Indian state flags

At present there are no officially recognised flags for individual states and union territories of India. No legal prohibitions to prevent states adopting distinctive flags exist in either the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 or the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. ^[9] In a 1994 case before the Supreme Court of India, S. R. Bommai v. Union of India , the Supreme Court declared that there is no prohibition in the Constitution of India for a state to have its own flag. However, a state flag should not dishonour the national flag. ^[10] The Flag code of India also permits other flags to be flown with the Flag of India, but not on the same flag pole or in a superior position to the national flag. ^[11]

Former official state flags

The state of Jammu and Kashmir had an officially recognised state flag between 1952 and 2019 under the special status granted to the state by Article 370 of the Constitution of India.

Flag	State	Usage date	Description
	Jammu and Kashmir	1947–1952	The flag was red with a plough in the centre. The red background stood for labour and the plough stood for agriculture. The ratio of the flag was 3:2.
		1952–2019	The flag was red with three white vertical stripes in the hoist and a plough in the fly. The red background stood for labour, the stripes stood for the three administrative divisions of the state (Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh) and the plough stood for agriculture. The ratio of the flag was 3:2. [12]

Proposed state flags

Flags have been proposed for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, but neither were officially adopted.

Flag	State	Date	Use	Description
	Tamil Nadu	Proposed in 1970	The Government of Tamil Nadu proposed a design for a state flag in 1970. [13]	Grey flag with the flag of India in the canton and the Emblem of Tamil Nadu in the fly.
	Karnataka	Proposed in 2018	The Government of Karnataka proposed a design for a state flag in 2018. [14]	Yellow, white and red tricolour with the Emblem of Karnataka centred on the white band.

Banners of the states and union territories

Main article: List of Indian state flags

When a distinctive banner is required to represent a state or union territory, the emblem of the state or union territory is usually displayed on a white or blue field. ^{[15] [16] [17]}

Historical flags

Main article: Historical Indian flags

Dominion of India

See also: Dominion of India

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1947–1950	Flag of the Dominion of India	A horizontal tricolour of saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra.
	1947–1950	Flag of the governor-general of India	Dark blue field emblazoned with the royal crest (a Tudor Crown surmounted by the lion of England, itself wearing the crown), beneath which was the word 'India' in gold majuscules. Similar to flags used by other Governors-General of Commonwealth realms.
	1947–present	National flag of India	A horizontal tricolour of saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra.

Political flags

Main article: List of political parties in India

National parties

Party		Flag	Ref.
	Aam Aadmi Party		[18]
	Bahujan Samaj Party		[19]
	Bharatiya Janata Party		[20]
	Communist Party of India (Marxist)		[21]
	Indian National Congress		[22]
	National People's Party		[23]

House Flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1919–present	Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd.
	19th century–1952	Bombay Steam Navigation Company
		Amer Ship Management Ltd., Mumbai
		Apcar & Co. (Apcar Line)
		Binny Ship Management Pvt. Ltd.
		Bombay & Persia S.N. Co., Ltd. Mogul Line
		Century Shipping Co., Ltd.
		Chowgule Steamships Ltd., Bombay
		Damodar Bulk Carriers Ltd.
		Dempo Steamships Ltd.
		Essar Shipping Co., Ltd., Bombay
		Everett (India), Pvt., Ltd.
		Five Stars Shipping Co. Pte Ltd.
		Garware Shipping Corp.
		Great Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd
		Havers Lines PVT., Ltd., Calcutta
		Himalaya Shipping Co., Ltd., Calcutta
		India General Steam Navigation Co.
		India Steamship Co. Ltd.
		Indian Co-operative Navigation & Trading Company
		Indian Shipping Co., Ltd.
		Indus Container Line
		Jayshree Teas & Industries Ltd., Calcutta
		Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
		Ocean Sparkle Co. Ltd.
		Sanmar
		Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.
		South India Shipping Corp. Ltd.
		Surrendra Overseas Ltd.
		Texmaco Ltd.
		Thakur Shipping Co., Ltd.
		Tolani Shipping Co., Ltd.

Sports

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Indian Olympic Association
		Paralympic Committee of India
		Flag of BCCI	The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. he BCCI is an autonomous, private organization that does not fall under the purview of the National Sports Federation of India of Government of India and does not receive any grants from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
		Flag of Equestrian Federation of India

Educational Institutions

Sainik Schools

Flag	Use
	Flag of Sainik School Society
	Flag of Sainik School Kazhakatoom
	Flag of Sainik School Gopalganj
	Flag of Sainik School Chhingchhip

Central Universities

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Aligarh Muslim University
		Flag of Banaras Hindu University

See also

• India portal

• National Flag of India
• Flag of India at Central Park, Connaught Place
• Largest Human Flag of India
• Flags of Indian princely states
• List of Indian state flags

References

1. Das, Chand N. (1984). Traditions and Customs of the Indian Armed Forces. Vision Books. p. 53.
2. "Indian Air Force Flags".
3. "Indian Air Force Flags".
4. "Indian Air Force Flags".
5. "Indian Air Force Flags".
6. "Indian Air Force Flags".
7. "Indian Air Force Flags".
8. "Indian Air Force Flags".
9. "Should States have their own flags?". The Hindu. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
10. "'Non-NDA states playing emblem politics to cover up their failure'". 14 July 2018.
11. "Flag Code of India - Wikisource, the free online library". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
12. Haynes, Ed (24 September 1996). "Jammu and Kashmir (India)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
13. "When Tamil Nadu proposed a State flag nearly five decades ago". Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
14. "Karnataka government unveils the state flag, awaits Centre's approval". hindustantimes.com/. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
15. "Vexilla Mundi". vexilla-mundi.com. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
16. "Arunachal: New Pema Khandu govt to revamp education, law & order - EastMojo". 3 June 2019.
17. "AMIT SINGH on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on 2022-04-30.^{[ user-generated source ]}
18. "Aam Aadmi Party". aamaadmiparty.org. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
19. "Bahujan Samaj Party: BSP, National Political Party of India". Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Retrieved 2023-05-04.
20. "Bharatiya Janata Party".
21. "Communist Party of India (Marxist)". Communist Party of India (Marxist). Retrieved 2023-05-04.
22. "Indian National Congress". Indian National Congress. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
23. "National People's Party". NATIONAL PEOPLE'S PARTY. Retrieved 2023-05-04.

External links

• "India - Index of all Pages".
• "Indian Ensigns".
• "British Rule in India".
• "India: Historical Flags". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2010-10-22.