Former Diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu takes oath as Delhi’s 23rd lieutenant governor

Veteran diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu was sworn in as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Delhi at a ceremony held at Lok Niwas on Wednesday.

The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta , senior officials and other dignitaries. Sandhu succeeds Vinai Kumar Saxena , who has been appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.

A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer , Sandhu brings nearly four decades of diplomatic experience to the role. He is widely regarded as one of India’s most experienced diplomats on United States affairs and served multiple assignments at the Indian mission in Washington, D.C..

Sandhu was India’s Ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2024 , a period that saw significant expansion of strategic and economic engagement between the two countries. Earlier, he also served at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations from 2005 to 2009, working on key multilateral issues and international cooperation.

Born in 1963, Sandhu studied at The Lawrence School, Sanawar, before graduating from St Stephen’s College and pursuing higher studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. After retiring from diplomatic service, he entered politics and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Amritsar on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket, though he was unsuccessful.

Speaking after taking the oath, Sandhu said he was honoured to serve the national capital and emphasised the need for cooperation in governance. “Delhi has been one of the leading capitals and will continue to be so. We must work together for the city’s development ,” he said.

He added that effective coordination between institutions would be key to strengthening governance and improving public service delivery for the residents of the national capital.