Southern Command ( India ) Southern Command is a formation of the Indian Army , active since 1895 . It has seen action during the integration of several Princely States into modern India , during the 1961 Indian Annexation of Goa , and during the 1965 and 1971 Indo - Pakistani Wars . Lt Gen Ashok Singh is the present commander . History . The Presidency armies were abolished with effect from 1 April 1895 when the three Presidency armies became the Indian Army . The Indian Army was divided into four Commands ( Bengal Command , Bombay Command , Madras Command and Punjab Command ) each under a lieutenant general . In 1908 , the four commands were merged into two Armies ( Northern Army and Southern Army ) : this system persisted until 1920 when the arrangement reverted to four commands again ( Eastern Command , Northern Command , Southern Command and Western Command ) . In 1914 , the Southern Army consisted of the 4th ( Quetta ) Division , the 5th ( Mhow ) Division , the 6th ( Poona ) Division , the 9th Division , and the Aden Brigade . During World War II , Southern Command was reformed as Southern Army in April 1942 . The formation reverted to the title Southern Command in November 1945 and was finally disbanded in 1947 . World War II . Component divisions included : Component brigades included : Commanders prior to Independence . Commanders included : < br > General Officer Commanding - in - Chief Southern Army General Officer Commanding - in - Chief Southern Command General Officer Commanding - in - Chief Southern Army General Officer Commanding - in - Chief Southern Command Post war . In August 1947 , Southern Command had the Deccan , Madras and Bombay Areas ( with HQs at Kamptee , Madras and Bombay ) . In 1947 – 48 , Southern Command was largely responsible in getting Junagadh and Hyderabad to sign the instrument of accession to India . In 1961 , the Indian annexation of Goa was conducted by 17 Infantry Division and 50th Parachute Brigade , under the operational control of Southern Command . In 1965 – 66 , two further divisions were raised within the command . After fighting broke out in the Rann of Kutch in April 1965 , a hastily constituted force , named Kilo Force under Maj . Gen PO Dunn was formed to contain this attack . Kilo Force was later re - designated as 11 Infantry Division . In September 1965 , the operational responsibility for the Barmer sector was given to Southern Command and entrusted to 11 Infantry Division . Delhi and Rajasthan Area , with its Advance Headquarters at Jodhpur , fought in the Indo - Pakistani War of 1965 under Western Command . On 3 November 1966 , this formation was redesignated 12 Infantry Division , under Major General J . F . R . Jacob , and also placed under Southern Command . Today the command headquarters is located at Pune Cantonment in Pune , Maharashtra . It consists of two corps and two military areas . The two areas appear to be : one at Mumbai ( formerly Bombay ) , the Maharashta Goa and Gujarat Area ( MG & G Area ) , responsible for those states ; and one at Chennai , the Andhra , Tamil Nadu , Karnataka and Kerala Area ( ATNK & K Area ) responsible for Andhra Pradesh , Tamil Nadu , Karnataka and Kerala . The Southern Command encompasses nine states and four union territories which covers about 40 % of India . In 2005 , some changes to the command ' s boundaries were made when a new South Western Command was established . Its components include :