Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), a cool-season legume, faces significant yield reductions when exposed to heat stress, particularly during the reproductive stages (flowering and podding). With climate change leading to rising global temperatures, heat stress is becoming an increasing challenge for chickpea cultivation. Research has identified 35 °C as a critical temperature for distinguishing heat-tolerant chickpea genotypes under field conditions. An experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2021-22 and 2022-23 at the Pulses Research Farm of Rama University, Mandhana Kanpur-209217. Thirty-six Desi chickpea genotypes were studied to analyse genetic variability, correlation, and path analysis for seed yield and its components. The sowing took place on December 15, 2021 (late sowing), at the Pulse Research Farm of Rama University, Mandhana Kanpur-209217. Due to late sowing, the chickpea plants encountered high temperatures (≥ 35 °C) during their reproductive stage, creating unfavourable heat stress conditions that impacted seed yield. The analysis of variance indicated significant differences among genotypes for all traits, demonstrating considerable variability. High genetic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were observed for grain yield per plot, followed by biological yield, effective pods per plant, total number of pods per plant, 100-seed weight, and primary branches per plant. Traits such as plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, total number of pods per plant, effective pods per plant, biological yield, 100-seed weight, grain yield per plant, and grain yield per plot showed high heritability combined with high genetic advance over the mean. This suggests that these traits are influenced by additive gene effects and could be effectively improved through selection. Seed yield per plant was positively and significantly correlated with the chlorophyll index, number of primary branches per plant, total number of pods per plant, effective pods per plant, biological yield, harvest index, and 100-seed weight, indicating these traits are key contributors to yield. Path analysis showed that the chlorophyll index, effective pods per plant, and 100-seed weight had the highest direct effects on seed yield. Based on seed yield performance, genotypes IPC2010-62, BRC-2, Sabour Chana-1, and GNG2215 were identified as promising heat-tolerant varieties. These genotypes hold potential for developing heat-tolerant chickpeas for the rice fallow areas of Bihar and could be utilized in future hybridization programs.