17.
The answer is: A
Explanation
The correct option is A: C. Rajagopalachari.
He was the only Indian governor-general of independent India, serving from 1948 to 1950. He succeeded Lord Mountbatten, who was the first governor-general of free India in 1947, and the last viceroy of the British Indian Empire¹. Rajagopalachari was also a freedom fighter, a leader of the Indian National Congress, and a founder of the Swatantra Party. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 1954.