Sandeep Jain
Lieutenant General in Indian Army
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Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, AVSM, SM is a serving general officer of the Indian Army. He currently serves as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command.[2] He was previously serving as Chief of Staff of the Southern Command.[3] prior to that he was the Commandant, Indian Military Academy.[4] He earlier served as General Officer Commanding XVI Corps.[5][6] He is also the Colonel of the Regiment of the Mahar Regiment since 1 August 2024.[7]
Sandeep Jain | |
|---|---|
| |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command | |
| Assumed office 1 April 2026 | |
| Upendra Dwivedi | |
| Preceded by | Dhiraj Seth |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Army |
Years of service | 11 June 1988 – Present |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Unit |  13 Mahar Regiment |
| Commands | |
| Service number | IC-47661L[1] |
| Awards | |
Early life and education
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He is also an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence College, Kenya.[8]
Military Career
The general officer was commissioned into 13th Battalion of the Mahar Regiment on 11 June 1988 from the Indian Military Academy.[9] In a career spanning over three decades, he has undertaken numerous command and staff appointments. He was a Sector Commander at United Nations Mission in Sudan, an Infantry Brigade in Strike Corps and was General Officer Commanding of a Counter Insurgency Force in Jammu & Kashmir. He has also served with the Military Operations Directorate, Military Secretary’s Branch and as a Military observer in Ethiopia.
After being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, he assumed the appointment of Director General (Capability Development) at the Army Headquarters, New Delhi. On 24 December 2022, he took over as the General Officer Commanding XVI Corps.[5] A year later on 1 February 2024, he took over as the Commandant of the Indian Military Academy. He subsequently assumed the appointment of Chief of Staff, Southern Command in June 2025.[3]
On 1 April 2026, Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command succeeding Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth upon his elevation as the Vice Chief of Army Staff.[2]
Awards and decorations
During his career, the general officer has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025[10] and the Sena Medal in 2022.[11]
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Dates of rank
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
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Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 11 June 1988[9] |
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Lieutenant | Indian Army | 11 June 1990[12] |
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Captain | Indian Army | 11 June 1993[13] |
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Major | Indian Army | 11 June 1999[14] |
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Lieutenant Colonel | Indian Army | 16 December 2004[15] |
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Colonel | Indian Army | 11 June 2008[16] |
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Brigadier | Indian Army | 13 June 2014 (acting)
29 October 2015 (substantive, with seniority from 14 September 2012)[17] |
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Major General | Indian Army | 6 February 2020 (seniority from 20 November 2018)[18] |
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Lieutenant General | Indian Army | 2022 |