The Supreme Court Collegium has cleared the name of Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai for appointment as the next Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, setting the stage for a leadership transition at the court next month.
The recommendation was finalised during the Collegium’s meeting held on May 22. Justice Rai, who currently serves as a judge of the Sikkim High Court, is expected to assume office after the retirement of incumbent Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo on June 4.
Justice Rai’s journey in the judiciary traces back to Sikkim and Delhi. Born in 1964, she studied in Gangtok and Kurseong before moving to Delhi for higher education. She graduated in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College and later earned her law degree from the Campus Law Centre of University of Delhi.
After enrolling with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1990, she practiced before the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India. The same year, she entered the Sikkim Judicial Service as a Judicial Magistrate First Class-cum-Civil Judge, becoming the first woman from Sikkim to hold that post.
Over the years, she occupied several key judicial and administrative positions, including Chief Judicial Magistrate, District and Sessions Judge, Registrar General of the Sikkim High Court, and Principal District and Sessions Judge.
Her judicial work covered a wide spectrum of specialised legislation, including matters under the NDPS Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, motor accident claims, and laws dealing with atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
In April 2015, Justice Rai was elevated as a permanent judge of the Sikkim High Court, another milestone that made her the first woman from the State to reach the High Court Bench. She has also served multiple terms as Acting Chief Justice of the High Court.
