Events in the year 2003 in the Republic of India.

Incumbents

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

* Vice President of India – Bhairon Singh Shekhawat *

Chief Justice of India The chief justice of India (IAST: ) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India as well as the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the president of India to appoint, in consultation w ...

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V. N. Khare Vishweshwar Nath Khare was the 33rd Chief Justice of India, serving from 19 December 2002 to 2 May 2004. He was a judge of the Supreme Court of India from 21 March 1997 before he was elevated to the post of Chief Justice. Early life Khare was ...

Governors

* Andhra Pradesh –

C. Rangarajan Chakravarthi Rangarajan (born 1932) is an Indian economist, a former Member of Parliament and 19th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He is the former Chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, he resigned the day the UPA ...

(until 3 January), Surjit Singh Barnala (starting 3 January) * Arunachal Pradesh –

Arvind Dave Arvind Dave (born 1 May 1940) is the former Governor of four states in India. He was the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh during 1999–2003;, Governor of Manipur, during 2003–2004 and acting governor of Meghalaya and Assam briefly during 2 ...

(until 12 June),

V. C. Pande Vinod Chandra Pandey (16 February 1932 – 7 February 2005) was an Indian Civil Servant of the Rajasthan Cadre, and was, notably, Cabinet Secretary in 1989–1990. He was a prolific writer and an erudite astrologer. He was born to a family w ...

(starting 12 June) * Assam – ** until 21 April:

Srinivas Kumar Sinha Lieutenant General Srinivas Kumar Sinha, PVSM, ADC (January 7, 1926 – November 17, 2016) was an Indian Army General who served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. After his retirement, he served as Governor of the states of Jammu and Kashmir, ...

** 21 April-5 June:

** starting 5 June:

Ajai Singh Lieutenant general (Retd) Ajai Singh PVSM, AVSM (born 20 November 1934) was the Governor of Assam state in India, from 2003 to 2008. He is also the chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC). Early life and career Born on 20 November 19 ...

* Bihar –

(until 12 June), M R Jois (starting 12 June) *

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

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D. N. Sahay Dinesh Nandan Sahay (also known as D.N. Sahay) (2 February 1936 – 28 January 2018) was a police officer turned politician and served as DGP of Bihar and later as Governor of Tripura and Governor of Chhattisgarh. He was born in Madhepur, ...

(until 1 June), Krishna Mohan Seth (starting 2 June) * Goa – Kidar Nath Sahani * Gujarat –

Sunder Singh Bhandari Sunder Singh Bhandari (12 April 192122 June 2005) was an Indian politician, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak and politician belonging to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party. Early life and education He was born to Dr. ...

(until 7 May), Kailashpati Mishra (starting 7 May) * Haryana – Babu Parmanand * Himachal Pradesh –

Suraj Bhan Suraj Bhan (1 October 1928 – 6 August 2006) was a former Governor, Member of Parliament and an Indian politician from Bharatiya Janata Party. Personal life Suraj Bhan Banswal was born on 1 October 1928 at Mehlanwali, Yamuna Nagar dis ...

(until 7 May), Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje (starting 8 May) * Jharkhand –

M. Rama Jois Justice Mandagadde Rama Jois (27 July 1931 – 16 February 2021) was an Indian politician and judge who served as a member of Rajya Sabha, as governor of Jharkhand and Bihar states, and as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Co ...

(until 11 June), Ved Marwah (starting 11 June) *

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

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Girish Chandra Saxena Girish Chandra 'Gary' Saxena (5 January 1928 – 14 April 2017) was a governor of Jammu and Kashmir state in India. Born in Agra in 1928, he joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) and held many positions in police and retired as Director of the ...

(until 4 June), S. K. Sinha (starting 4 June) * Karnataka –

T. N. Chaturvedi Tirlok Nath Chaturvedi''’ (12 January 1928-5 January 2020), was a member of the 1950 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). He held several important positions in the Government of Rajasthan and the Government of India including Co ...

* Kerala – Sikander Bakht (starting 18 April) * Madhya Pradesh –

Bhai Mahavir Bhai Mahavir (30 October 1922 - 3 December 2016) was an Indian politician who was governor of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh between April 1998 and March 2003. He was a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and served as a leade ...

(until 6 May),

Ram Prakash Gupta Ram Prakash Gupta (26 October 1923 – 1 May 2004) was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and Governor of Madhya Pradesh. He was a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as its predecessor party, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. A post-gra ...

(starting 6 May) *

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

– Mohammed Fazal * Manipur – Ved Marwah (until 12 June),

(starting 12 June) * Meghalaya –

M.M. Jacob M. M. Jacob (9 August 1926 – 8 July 2018), in full Mundakkal Mathew Jacob, was an Indian people, Indian politician, working in Indian National Congress. He married Achamma Kunnuthara from Tiruvalla, Kerala (since deceased) and had four daugh ...

* Mizoram –

Amolak Rattan Kohli Amolak Rathan Kohli (born 3 November 1942) is a former governor of the Indian state of Mizoram. He served as governor of Mizoram from 2001 to 2006. Kohli is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, a graduate from its first MBA ...

* Nagaland – Shyamal Datta * Odisha –

M. M. Rajendran Moberly Manoah Rajendran (born 12 April 1935) was topper of 1957 IAS batch and later became Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu and Governor of Odisha. Earlier he was a member of the UNICEF Executive Board and Vice Chairman of its Program Committ ...

* Punjab –

J. F. R. Jacob Lieutenant General Jack Farj Rafael Jacob, PVSM (2May 1921 – 13January 2016), was a general officer in the Indian Army. He was best known for the role he played in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. Jacob, then a major general, served as ...

(until 8 May), Om Prakash Verma (starting 8 May) * Rajasthan – ** until 14 May: Anshuman Singh ** 14 May-22 September:

Nirmal Chandra Jain Nirmal Chandra Jain (24 September 1924 – 22 September 2003) was an Indian politician and a Senior Advocate. He was elected to the Lok Sabha the lower house of Indian Parliament from Seoni in Madhya Pradesh in 1977 as a member of the Janata Par ...

** starting 22 September: Kailashpati Mishra * Sikkim – V. Rama Rao * Tamil Nadu –

P. S. Ramamohan Rao P. S. Ramamohan Rao (born 31 July 1934) is a former Indian civil servant. He served as the honorable List of Governors of Tamil Nadu, Governor of Tamil Nadu from 18 January 2002 to 4 November 2004. He enlisted in the Indian Police Service in Octo ...

* Tripura – Krishna Mohan Seth (until 31 May), Dinesh Nandan Sahay (starting 1 June) * Uttar Pradesh – Vishnu Kant Shastri * Uttarakhand – Surjit Singh Barnala (until 7 January),

Sudarshan Agarwal Sudarshan Agarwal (19 June 1931 – 3 July 2019). was an Indian civil servant who served as Governor of Uttarakhand (2003–2007) and Sikkim (2007–2008).

(starting 7 January) * West Bengal –

Viren J. Shah Viren J. Shah (12 May 1926 – 9 March 2013) was an Indian politician and 17th Governor of West Bengal. Shah was a member of Lok Sabha from 1967 to 1970 and of Rajya Sabha during 1975–1981 and 1990–1996. He had served as treasurer of the ...

Events

* National income - 27,925,301 million *26 January – The president of Iran,

Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...

, is the guest at the Republic Day celebration. *5–9 February – Aero-India show is held in Bangalore. *March – India put up a great show at the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa after poor performances in the past and go on to the Finals. They were defeated by Australia in the Finals. *18 April – Prime Minister

, at his first rally in

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

, makes a historic announcement of a peace initiative with Pakistan. *31 May – Prime Minister Vajpayee has the rare honour of joining the head table at the 300th foundation day of St. Petersburg with Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush. *22 June – Vajpayee is in China. India concedes that Tibet is an integral part of China. China agrees to recognise Sikkim's accession to India. *14 July – India refuses to send troops to Iraq. *25 August – 52 killed in two bomb blasts in Mumbai. *24 September – United States President George W. Bush invites Vajpayee to lunch in New York City during Vajpayee's US trip. It is considered an important meeting for Indo-US relations. Several deals are struck on civilian nuclear technology, space, hi-tech trade and missile defence. *6 October – Vajpayee visits

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

for the second time in 2 years. *22 October – India announces confidence-building measures with respect to Indo-Pakistani relations: more buses, flights, higher mission strength, etc. *15 November – Vajpayee visits

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. *28 November – Abu Salem, one of India's most wanted fugitives for his alleged role in the

1993 Bombay bombings The 1993 Bombay bombings were a series of 12 terrorist bombings that took place in Bombay, Maharashtra, on 12 March 1993. The single-day attacks resulted in 257 fatalities and 1,400 injuries. The attacks were coordinated by Dawood Ibrahim, le ...

, is sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment by a Portuguese court on charges of fraud and resisting arrest. In response, the

Central Bureau of Investigation The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and governmen ...

announces it will maintain its efforts to seek Salem's deportation to India.

Births

* 22 January – Shruti Bisht, actress * 15 April – Pranavi Urs, golfer

Deaths

*8 January –

Mahadeva Subramania Mani Mahadeva Subramania Mani aka Dr MS Mani ( ta, மகாதேவா சுப்ரமணிய கரங்கள்; 2 March 1908 in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu - 8 January 2003 in Bangalore) was an Indian entomologist especially famous for his studie ...

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

(born 1908). *14 July – Leela Chitnis, actress (born 1909). *1 February Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American Astronaut and first Indian woman to go to space (born

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

). *27 July –

Henning Holck-Larsen Henning Holck-Larsen (4 July 1907 – 27 July 2003) was a Danish engineer who co-founded the Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Early life and career Henning Holck-Larsen was educated at the University of Copenhagen (and what is no ...

, engineer, co-founder of Larsen & Toubro (born 1907). *25 October – Pandurang Shastri Athavale,

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, spiritual leader, social reformer, who founded the

Swadhyay Movement The Swadhyaya Movement or Swadhyaya Parivara started in mid 20th-century in the western states of India, particularly Maharashtra and Gujarat. Founded by Pandurang Shastri Athavale (1920-2003), the movement emphasizes self-study (''swadhyaya''), ...

(born 1920). *3 November – Narendra Prasad, actor, playwright, teacher and literary critic (born 1946). *9 November –

Binod Bihari Verma Binod Bihari Verma (1937–2003) was a Maithili writer and military doctor. He is known for ''Maithili Karna Kayasthak Panjik Sarvekshan'', his work on ancient genealogical charts known as Panjis, as well as his depiction of rural poor of the ...

, writer (born 1937). *21 December – G. V. Iyer, film director (born 1917).

References