DefenceThursday, 2 April 2026·The Hindu
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth becomes Vice Chief of Army Staff; Lt Gen Sandeep Jain takes over Southern Command
On 1 April 2026, Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth assumed office as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, while Lt Gen Sandeep Jain took charge of Southern Command.
Key highlights
Direct fact
On 1 April 2026, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth assumed office as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, and Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain took charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command.
Key specifics
- Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth assumed the post of Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 1 April 2026.
- Lt Gen Sandeep Jain took over as GOC-in-C, Southern Command, on 1 April 2026.
- Dhiraj Seth was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986.
- Sandeep Jain was commissioned into the MAHAR Regiment in June 1988 and is its Colonel.
- Dhiraj Seth had earlier served as GOC-in-C of both South Western Command and Southern Command.
Exam lens
Question type: appointments and defence hierarchy, Vice Chief of Army Staff, Southern Command, 1 April 2026, Armoured Corps, MAHAR Regiment. TNPSC may ask who took over which command and the month-year of commissioning.