Jal Cursetji, PVSM was an Indian Navyadmiral who served as the 10th Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 March 1976 until 28 February 1979. Cursetji's prior commands included those as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command and the commanding officer of and. He also served as the Naval Attache to the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and as the Chief Hydrographer of the Indian Navy.
Cursetji joined the Royal Indian Navy Volunteer Reserve as a cadet in January 1938. He was commissioned as an acting sub-lieutenant in the RIN on 1 April 1940, with confirmation as a sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1940. He qualified as a Hydrography Specialist in the United Kingdom, and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1941. During World War II, Cursetji served in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. In 1944, he took over as the Commanding Officer of. After the independence of India, he opted to join the Indian Navy. He was the senior most Indian officer in the Hydrographic Survey branch, and took part in the coastal surveys of Burma, Malaya and Indonesia. He served as the Surveyor-in-Charge of the Marine Survey of India between 1950 and 1953. On 15 November 1955, he was promoted to acting captain and deputed as the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India. On 5 November 1957, he took command of the 11th Destroyer Squadron as CO of INS Rajput, and was promoted substantive captain on 31 December. Between 1961 and 1965, Cursetji served as the Naval Attache in Washington, D.C. and Ottawa. Between 1966 and 1967, he was the Commanding Officer of. He was promoted to acting Rear Admiral and took over as the Chief of Personnel at Naval Headquarters in December 1967. On 20 February 1970, he was promoted to acting Vice Admiral and took over as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. On 27 February 1973, he took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, with promotion to substantive vice-admiral on 1 March. Admiral Cursetji became the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy on 1 March 1976. He retired on 28 February 1979 and died in January 1991.
