Honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army was conferred on Gen Dhiraj Seth on Monday, at a special Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Kathmandu. President of Nepal Ram Chandra Paudel presented the honour, formalising a tradition that has run between the two armies for more than seven decades.

The Chief of the Army Staff is on an official visit to Nepal from 17 to 19 August, at the invitation of his counterpart, Gen Ashok Raj Sigdel.


Honorary rank of General completes a reciprocal exchange

Nepal and India have swapped the honour since 1950, when Gen KM Cariappa became the first Indian Army chief to hold the Nepali rank. The custom runs in both directions. Most recently, Gen Sigdel received the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army from President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in New Delhi in December 2024, an event the Press Information Bureau recorded at the time.

Each chief typically receives the honour early in their tenure. Gen Seth took over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff on 30 June, becoming the first officer from the Armoured Corps to lead the Indian Army since 1997.

Ceremony at Sheetal Niwas draws senior Nepali leadership

Nepali officials said Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav and Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal attended the investiture, alongside Gen Sigdel and senior Nepali Army officers. India's Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, was also present.

Komal Seth, chairperson of the Army Wives Welfare Association of the Indian Army, is accompanying her husband on the visit as part of a five member delegation.

Earlier the same day

Gen Seth had begun Monday with a wreath laying at the Army Pavilion in Tundikhel, followed by a Guard of Honour at the Nepali Army headquarters. He held talks with Gen Sigdel and received a briefing from the Director General Military Operations on issues of mutual interest before proceeding to the investiture.

First Nepal visit since taking over as Chief

This is Gen Seth's first trip to Nepal since assuming charge of the Indian Army. He arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday for the three day official visit.

It also follows an earlier attempt at high level engagement between the two capitals. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had a Kathmandu visit deferred for protocol reasons before it could take place, leaving Gen Seth as the first senior figure from New Delhi to visit since the change of government in Kathmandu.

Visit runs through Wednesday

Tuesday takes Gen Seth to Shivapuri, where he addresses student officers of the Army Command and Staff Course. The visit closes at Pokhara on Wednesday with an Ex-Servicemen Rally, before he returns to India.