The Cabinet Secretary is the senior-most civil servant in India and serves as the head of the Cabinet Secretariat. Acting as the top coordinator of the central government administration, the Cabinet Secretary plays a crucial role in policy implementation, inter-ministerial coordination, and advising the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Name | Duration (Start – End) | Political Party | Prime Minister(s) During Tenure |
T. V. Somanathan | 30 August 2024 – Incumbent | Not Applicable (Civil Servant) | Narendra Modi |
Rajiv Gauba | 30 August 2019 – 30 August 2024 | Not Applicable | Narendra Modi |
P. K. Sinha | 14 June 2015 – 30 August 2019 | Not Applicable | Narendra Modi |
Ajit Seth | 14 June 2011 – 13 June 2015 | Not Applicable | Manmohan Singh / Narendra Modi |
K. M. Chandrasekhar | 14 June 2007 – 13 June 2011 | Not Applicable | Manmohan Singh |
B. K. Chaturvedi | 14 June 2004 – 13 June 2007 | Not Applicable | Manmohan Singh |
Kamal Pandey | 1 November 2002 – 14 June 2004 | Not Applicable | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
T. R. Prasad | 1 November 2000 – 31 October 2002 | Not Applicable | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
Prabhat Kumar | 1 April 1998 – 31 October 2000 | Not Applicable | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
T. S. R. Subramanian | 1 August 1996 – 31 March 1998 | Not Applicable | H. D. Deve Gowda / I. K. Gujral |
Surendra Singh | 1 August 1994 – 31 July 1996 | Not Applicable | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
Zafar Saifullah | 31 July 1993 – 31 July 1994 | Not Applicable | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
S. Rajagopal | 1 August 1992 – 31 July 1993 | Not Applicable | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
Naresh Chandra | 11 December 1990 – 31 July 1992 | Not Applicable | Chandra Shekhar / P. V. Narasimha Rao |
V. C. Pande | 23 December 1989 – 11 December 1990 | Not Applicable | V. P. Singh / Chandra Shekhar |
T. N. Seshan | 27 March 1989 – 23 December 1989 | Not Applicable | Rajiv Gandhi |
B. G. Deshmukh | 23 August 1986 – 27 March 1989 | Not Applicable | Rajiv Gandhi |
P. K. Kaul | 8 February 1985 – 22 August 1986 | Not Applicable | Rajiv Gandhi |
C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao | 30 April 1981 – 8 February 1985 | Not Applicable | Indira Gandhi / Rajiv Gandhi |
S. S. Grewal | 2 April 1980 – 30 April 1981 | Not Applicable | Indira Gandhi |
N. K. Mukarji | 31 March 1977 – 31 March 1980 | Not Applicable | Morarji Desai / Charan Singh / Indira Gandhi |
B. D. Pandey | 2 November 1972 – 31 March 1977 | Not Applicable | Indira Gandhi |
T. Swaminathan | 1 December 1970 – 2 November 1972 | Not Applicable | Indira Gandhi |
B. Sivaraman | 1 January 1969 – 30 November 1970 | Not Applicable | Indira Gandhi |
D. S. Joshi | 27 June 1966 – 31 December 1968 | Not Applicable | Indira Gandhi |
Dharma Vira | 18 November 1964 – 27 June 1966 | Not Applicable | Lal Bahadur Shastri / Indira Gandhi |
S. S. Khera | 15 April 1962 – 18 November 1964 | Not Applicable | Jawaharlal Nehru / Lal Bahadur Shastri |
Vishnu Sahay | 9 March 1961 – 15 April 1962 | Not Applicable | Jawaharlal Nehru |
B. N. Jha | 10 November 1960 – 8 March 1961 | Not Applicable | Jawaharlal Nehru |
Vishnu Sahay | 1 July 1958 – 10 November 1960 | Not Applicable | Jawaharlal Nehru |
M. K. Vellodi | 1 August 1957 – 4 June 1958 | Not Applicable | Jawaharlal Nehru |
Y. N. Sukthankar | 14 May 1953 – 31 July 1957 | Not Applicable | Jawaharlal Nehru |
N. R. Pillai | 6 February 1950 – 13 May 1953 | Not Applicable | Jawaharlal Nehru |
T. V. Somanathan is the current Cabinet Secretary of India. He took office in August 2024 and is the senior-most civil servant in the Government of India.
N. R. Pillai was the first Cabinet Secretary of India. He served from 1950 to 1953 and helped establish the administrative structure of the Cabinet Secretariat after Independence.
The Cabinet Secretary is the top bureaucrat of the Government of India and heads the Cabinet Secretariat. The role includes coordinating between ministries, ensuring smooth implementation of Cabinet decisions, and advising the Prime Minister and senior officials on administrative matters.
The Cabinet Secretary is appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, which is led by the Prime Minister. The officer is usually selected from the senior-most IAS officers with extensive administrative experience.
The standard tenure of a Cabinet Secretary is typically two years, but it can be extended by the government depending on administrative requirements and performance.

Credit Card:
Credit Score:
Personal Loan:
Home Loan:
Fixed Deposit:
Copyright © 2026 BankBazaar.com.