New Delhi: Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta, currently serving as the Chief of Staff in Northern Command, was appointed as the new Central Army Commander on Friday. He succeeds Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani, who is moving to Army Headquarters as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.
This announcement comes just days after the government revealed that Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi will succeed Gen Manoj Pande as the next Chief of the Army Staff. The defence ministry stated, “The government has appointed Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30.” In a rare decision, the government had extended Gen Pande’s tenure by one month earlier, just six days before he was due to retire on May 31. After Gen Pande, the next in seniority is Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh, currently serving as the Southern Army Commander. Both Lt Gen Dwivedi and Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh were expected to retire on June 30.
Service chiefs can serve up to the age of 62 or for three years, whichever comes first. The retirement age for officers holding the rank of Lt General is 60, except in cases where they are approved for promotion to the four-star rank. Before assuming the role of Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Dwivedi served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command from 2022 to 2024. Born on July 1, 1964, he attended Sainik School Rewa and was commissioned into the 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles of the Indian Army on December 15, 1984. He later commanded this unit. Additionally, the Leh-based 14 Corps will have a new commander as Lt Gen Rashim Bali moves to Army Headquarters to take over as the new Military Secretary, overseeing HR-related functions.
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