does a companion have to be a past master of a craft lodge to be elected First Principal under the Supreme Grand Chapter of India

Under the historical system practised in England, eligibility for the chair of First Principal (Z) required that a Companion be or have been the Master or Past Master of a Craft Lodge, have served twelve months in each of the other two Principal chairs, and have served as a Scribe or Sojourner within the Chapter 2.

Originally, the requirement of being a Past Master applied to admission into the degree itself 12. To satisfy this rule before its eventual disuse under the English Constitution, Chapters frequently conferred a constructive "passing the chair" or Virtual Past Master degree to qualify Master Masons who had not actually presided over a Symbolic Lodge 2.

While these historical regulations set the traditional framework requiring Craft Mastership for election as First Principal 2, the specific current Constitutions and regulations of the Supreme Grand Chapter of India are not contained in the available library sources.

Under the Royal Arch system as practised in England, a Companion must be the Master or a Past Master of a Craft Lodge to be eligible for election to the chair of First Principal 2.

In addition to serving as a Master or Past Master of a Lodge, eligibility for the First Principal's chair (Z) requires that a Companion have served twelve months in each of the other two Principal chairs—those of Haggai (H) and Joshua (J) 2. A candidate for the chair must also have served in the Chapter as a Scribe, Sojourner, or Assistant Sojourner 2.

Historically, the requirement of being a Past Master originally applied to candidate admission into the Royal Arch Degree itself 12. Early English regulations stipulated that none were to be admitted except those who had completed the three Craft degrees and had regularly presided over a Lodge as Master 1. To navigate this restriction prior to its disuse, Chapters utilised a practice known as "Passing the Chair," conferring a constructive or virtual Past Master degree upon Master Masons who had not served in the Craft chair 2. While the threshold for exaltation was later modified to permit any Master Mason of four weeks' standing to be exalted 2, the Past Master qualification was retained for eligibility to the First Principal's chair 2.