Jharkhand, formed on 15 November 2000, has witnessed a dynamic political journey, with several changes in Governors, Chief Ministers, and Cabinet formations. This blog compiles all the important historical, administrative, and political milestones relevant for competitive exams like JPSC, JSSC, UPSC, and other state-level exams.
List of Governors of Jharkhand
(Frequently Asked in Exams)
| Sl. No. | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Prabhat Kumar | First Governor |
| 2. | V.C. Pandey (Acting) | – |
| 3. | M. Rama Jois | – |
| 4. | Ved Prakash Marwah | – |
| 5. | Syed Sibtey Razi | – |
| 6. | Shankar Narayan | – |
| 7. | M.O.H. Farook | – |
| 8. | Syed Ahmed | – |
| 9. | Droupadi Murmu | First Tribal Woman Governor of India |
| 10. | Ramesh Bais | – |
| 11. | C.P. Radhakrishnan (Present) | From 18 February 2023 – till date |
Chief Ministers of Jharkhand
(Most Exam-Focused Section – Dates & Names Important)
| Sl. No. | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Babulal Marandi | 15 Nov 2000 – 18 Mar 2003 |
| 2. | Arjun Munda | 18 Mar 2003 – 2 Mar 2005 |
| 3. | Shibu Soren | 2 Mar 2005 – 12 Mar 2005 |
| 4. | Arjun Munda | 12 Mar 2005 – 19 Sep 2006 |
| 5. | Madhu Koda | 19 Sep 2006 – 27 Aug 2008 |
| 6. | Shibu Soren | 27 Aug 2008 – 19 Jan 2009 |
| 7. | President’s Rule | 19 Jan 2009 – 30 Dec 2009 |
| 8. | Shibu Soren | 30 Dec 2009 – 1 Jun 2010 |
| 9. | President’s Rule | 1 Jun 2010 – 11 Sep 2010 |
| 10. | Arjun Munda | 11 Sep 2010 – 18 Jan 2013 |
| 11. | President’s Rule | 18 Jan 2013 – 13 Jul 2013 |
| 12. | Hemant Soren | 13 Jul 2013 – 28 Dec 2014 |
| 13. | Raghubar Das | 28 Dec 2014 – 29 Dec 2019 (Longest tenure) |
| 14. | Hemant Soren | 29 Dec 2019 – Present |
Shortest Tenure: Shibu Soren (10 days)
Longest Tenure: Raghubar Das (5 years)
First Council of Ministers (2000)
(First Ministry Headed by Babulal Marandi)
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Babulal Marandi | CM, Home, Personnel, Information & PR, and all unallocated |
| Yamuna Singh | Forest & Environment |
| Mrigendra Pratap Singh | Water Resources, Parliamentary Affairs |
| Ramchandra Kesari | HRD |
| Arjun Munda | Welfare |
| Sudesh Mahto | Road Construction |
| Dev Dayal Kushwaha | Agriculture |
| Lalchand Mahato | Energy |
| Samresh Singh | Science & Technology |
| Pashupati Nath Singh | Industry |
| Sadhanu Bhagat | Building Construction & Transport |
| Raghubar Das | Labour, Employment & Training |
| Devdhan Besra | Law |
| Ramji Lal Sarda | Revenue & Land Reforms |
| Madhu Singh | Food Supply, Commerce, Fisheries & Animal Husbandry |
| Joba Majhi | Tourism, Women & Child Welfare |
Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Ramesh Singh Munda | Excise & Prohibition |
| Ravindra Rai | Mines & Geology |
| Bachcha Singh | Urban Development |
| Jaleshwar Mahato | – |
| Pradeep Yadav | – |
| Dinesh Paadgi | – |
| Madhu Koda | – (Later became CM) |
Ministers of State
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Neelkanth Singh Munda | Public Health Engineering |
| Sudarshan Bhagat | Rural Development |
| Bachcha Singh | Health & Family Welfare |
Current Council of Ministers (as of 2024)
(Headed by Hemant Soren)
| Name | Party | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Hemant Soren | JMM | CM, Personnel, Admin Reforms, Official Language, Home, Cabinet, all unallocated |
| Alamgir Alam | INC | Parliamentary Affairs, Rural Development |
| Rameshwar Oraon | INC | Finance, Planning, Food, Public Distribution, Consumer Affairs |
| Satyanand Bhokta | RJD | Labour, Employment & Training |
| Badal Patralekh | INC | Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Co-operatives |
| Banna Gupta | INC | Health, Medical Education, Disaster Management |
| Mithilesh Thakur | JMM | Drinking Water & Sanitation |
| Champai Soren | JMM | Transport |
| Joba Majhi | JMM | Women & Child Development, Social Security |
| Hafizul Hasan | JMM | Minority Welfare, Tourism, Arts, Sports, Youth, Registration |
| Baby Devi | JMM | Excise & Prohibition |
Important Highlights for Exams
- First CM of Jharkhand: Babulal Marandi
- First Governor: Prabhat Kumar
- First Tribal Woman Governor: Droupadi Murmu
- CM with Shortest Tenure: Shibu Soren (10 days)
- Longest Serving CM: Raghubar Das (2014–2019)
- Current CM (as of 2024): Hemant Soren (since 2019)
- Current Governor: C.P. Radhakrishnan (since Feb 2023)
- Noteworthy Cabinet Members: Arjun Munda, Raghubar Das, Madhu Koda, Joba Majhi, Alamgir Alam
Judiciary and Legal System of Jharkhand
(Facts Frequently Asked in Competitive Exams)
- Jharkhand High Court was established on 15 November 2000, the same day the state was formed.
- It is the 21st High Court of India.
- The High Court is located in Ranchi.
- The first Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court was Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta. *
- The current Chief Justice is Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra (since 20 February 2023). *
- The third Chief Justice, Justice Altamas Kabir, was later appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. *
- Justice Gyan Sudha Misra was the first woman Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court. She also served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. *
- At the time of formation, the High Court had 08 judges (1 Chief Justice + 7 others).
- As of now, the sanctioned strength is 25 judges (including Chief Justice).
- In 2002, the Jharkhand Judicial Academy was established to train district judges and munsif-level officers.
List of Chief Justices of Jharkhand High Court (2000–2024)
| Sl. No. | Name | Term/Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta | 5 Dec 2000 – 7 Mar 2003 * |
| 2 | Justice P.K.I. Balasubramanyam | 10 Mar 2003 – 26 Aug 2004 * |
| 3 | Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyay | 2004–05 |
| 4 | Justice Altamas Kabir | 1 Mar 2005 – 8 Sep 2005 * |
| 5 | Justice Nilavai Dhinakar | 4 Dec 2005 – 10 Jun 2006 |
| 6 | Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyay (Acting) | 2006 |
| 7 | Justice M.Y. Eqbal (Acting) | 2006 |
| 8 | Justice Muttusamy Karpagavinayagam | 17 Sep 2006 – 2008 |
| 9 | Justice Gyan Sudha Misra | 13 Jul 2008 – 29 Apr 2010 * |
| 10 | Justice Bhagwati Prasad | 2010 |
| 11 | Justice Prakash Tatia | 22 Aug 2010 – 12 May 2011 |
| 12 | Justice R. Banumathi | 11 May 2011 – 12 Nov 2013 * |
| 13 | Justice Virender Singh | 16 Nov 2013 – 13 Aug 2014 |
| 14 | Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty | 1 Nov 2014 – 7 Oct 2016 |
| 15 | Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty (Acting) | 7 Oct – 7 Nov 2016 |
| 16 | Justice D.N. Patel (Acting) | 8 Nov 2016 – 9 Jun 2017 |
| 17 | Justice Aniruddha Bose | 10 Jun 2017 – 3 Aug 2018 |
| 18 | Justice Prashant Kumar | 4 Aug 2018 – 23 May 2019 |
| 19 | Justice Harish Chandra Mishra | 24 May – 6 Jun 2019 |
| 20 | Justice (Dr.) Ravi Ranjan | 7 Jun 2019 – 30 Aug 2019 |
| 21 | Justice D.N. Patel | 30 Aug – 16 Nov 2019 |
| 22 | Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra | Since 20 Feb 2023 * |
Key Legal and Administrative Personalities of Jharkhand
- Vinod Chandra Pandey was the first acting Governor of Jharkhand and served for the shortest duration. *
- Mangalamay Banerjee was the first Advocate General of Jharkhand. *
- The current Advocate General is Rajeev Ranjan. *
- Justice Laxman Oraon was the first Lokayukta of Jharkhand. *
- The post of Lokayukta is vacant since June 2021, following the death of Justice D.N. Upadhyay. *
Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC)
(Crucial for all state-level exams)
- Established: January 2002 *
- Headquarters: Ranchi *
- JPSC has a provision of 1 Chairperson + 8 Members.
- First Chairperson: Fatik Chandra Hembrom *
- Current Chairperson (2024): Mary Neelima Kerketta – a *retired IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre. *
- Sudhir Tripathi, former JPSC Chairman, is now the **Chairman of Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC)*.
- JPSC conducts Combined Competitive Examinations for gazetted and non-gazetted posts in the state. *
Other Important Administrative Figures
- First Chief Secretary: Vijay Shankar Dubey *
- Current Chief Secretary: Sukhdev Singh *
- First DGP of Jharkhand: Shivaji Mahan Kaire *
- Current DGP (2024): Ajay Kumar Singh *
Raj Bhavan – Governor’s Residence
- Located in Ranchi, Jharkhand’s Raj Bhavan was constructed in March 1931.
- The architect was Sadallo Blayard. *
Notable Political Facts (Often Asked in JPSC & JSSC)
- Droupadi Murmu:
- First female Governor of Jharkhand *
- First to complete a full 5-year term as Governor of the state *
- Announced eye donation at an event in Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital, Ranchi *
- Raghubar Das:
- First non-tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand *
- Shibu Soren:
- First non-BJP Chief Minister of Jharkhand *
- Madhu Koda:
- Only independent Chief Minister of Jharkhand *
Final Takeaways for Aspirants
Always remember the firsts, tenure durations, and major transitions.
Dates related to Chief Justices, JPSC officials, and Governors are frequently asked.
Prepare match-the-following and MCQ-style questions on:
- High Court facts
- JPSC Chairpersons
- Political leaders and roles
- Administrative key persons