Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai Appointed Acting Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court
(Judicial Quest News Network)
Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai has been appointed acting Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court.
The appointment was made after Chief Justice JK Maheshwari’s appointment to the Supreme Court was notified by the Central government.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Smt. Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai, senior-most Judge of Sikkim High Court, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of that High Court with effect from the date Shri Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari relinquishes the charge as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court consequent upon his appointment as Judge of the Supreme Court of India.”
Justice Meenakshi Completed her LLB from Campus Law Centre, Delhi in the year 1989.
She staeted her judicial caree as judicial Magistrate 1st class-cum-civil Judge (East) District at Gangtok, Sikkim in 1990 and rose to become District and sessions judge and later the Registrar General of Sikkim High Court.
She pursued Political Science (Honours) in Lady Shriram College, Delhi University, on a Merit Scholarship from the Government of Sikkim, which she completed in 1986 and proceeded to join the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, from where she did her three-year LLB course till 1989. She was enrolled in the Bar Association of Delhi in the year 1990 and worked in the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India under an Advocate on Record
Details of posts held: –
She was appointed as Judicial Magistrate 1st Class –cum- Civil Judge (East) District at Gangtok, Sikkim on 11.12.1990 in the cadre of Sikkim Judicial Service, being the first lady from Sikkim to be appointed to the said post. She was promoted to the post of Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Civil Judge (East & North) Districts of Sikkim at Gangtok on 20.04.2000, which post she continued to hold till 01.08.2004. On 02.08.2004, she was promoted as District & Sessions Judge (Special Division-II) at Gangtok in the cadre of the Sikkim Superior Judicial Service and subsequently, on 23.11.2004 transferred and posted as Registrar, High Court of Sikkim. On 26.10.2006, she was posted as Registrar General, High Court of Sikkim.
On 30.06.2010 she was transferred and posted as District and Sessions Judge, South & West Sikkim at Namchi till 15.07.2012 and held various assignments under Special Acts during her said posting, as follows: –
(a)Special Judge, NDPS Act, 1985 and Special Judge, Sikkim Anti-drugs Act, 2006 for South & West Sikkim.
(b)Special Judge, Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for South & West Sikkim.
(c)Single Member, MACT for South & West Sikkim.
(d)Judge, Family Court for South & West Sikkim.
(e)Special Judge, Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 for South and West Sikkim.
(f)President, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (South & West) Districts of Sikkim.
(g)`Chairperson, District Legal Services Authority, South & West Sikkim
On 16.07.2012, she was transferred and posted as District & Sessions Judge (East & North) Districts of Sikkim at Gangtok and held additional charge of District & Sessions Judge (Special Division-I) at Gangtok and various assignments as before.
On 29.07.2013, she was designated as Principal District & Sessions (East) District at Gangtok. She was elevated as Judge, High Court of Sikkim on 15.04.2015, being the first lady from Sikkim to be elevated to the post and assumed charge of the Office of the Judge, High Court of Sikkim in the forenoon of the same date.
She was appointed judge of Sikkim High Court in 2015, the first women from Sikkim to become a High Court Judge.
She has also served as acting Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court thrice before -in 2018,2019 and 2020.
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