HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT SIKKIM
| Name | Hon’ble Mr. Justice Biswanath Somadder, Chief Justice |
| Date of Birth | 15/12/1963 |
| Initial Joining | 22/06/2006 |
| Joining at Sikkim | 12/10/2021 |
- Born on December 15, 1963. Passed B.A. and LL.B. Examination from the University of Calcutta.Did a Certificate Course on "Office Automation Tools" under the Computer Education Programme of Regional Computer Centre, Calcutta.
- Was enrolled as an Advocate on July 21, 1989. Practised in the High Court at Calcutta as well as the Supreme Court of India. Also appeared before CESTAT, Eastern Regional Bench.
- Practised in Constitutional (Customs & Central Excise, FERA, Telecommunication, Education, Service & Income Tax), Arbitration, Company, Revenue, Civil and Criminal matters. Specialised in Revenue, Arbitration and Constitutional Laws.
- Was Senior Counsel for the Central Government in the High Court at Calcutta. Was also the Hony. Joint Secretary of the Bar Library Club of Calcutta High Court, till just prior to his elevation.
- Was elevated to the Bench of the High Court at Calcutta as a permanent Judge on June 22, 2006. Was appointed as the Executive Chairman of the State Legal Services Authority, West Bengal, by the Governor of West Bengal, vide notification dated November 5, 2018.
- Appointed as Judge-in-Charge, Administrative Department, High Court at Calcutta, to discharge the functions assigned under the Appellate Side Rules of the High Court at Calcutta, with effect from November 19, 2018.
- Was the Acting Chief Justice from January 1, 2019 till April 3, 2019.
- Assumed charge as Judge of Allahabad High Court on and from October 17, 2019.
- Elevated as Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court and took oath on April 27, 2020.
- Transferred to the High Court of Sikkim and took oath as the Chief Justice on October 12, 2021.
| Sitting at | Gangtok |
| Address | Chief Justice Residence, VIP Colony, Gangtok, Sikkim - 737103 |
| justice.bsomadder@aij.gov.in |
| Name | Hon'ble Mrs. Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai, Judge |
| Date of Birth | 12/07/1964 |
| Initial Joining | 15/04/2015 |
| Joining at Sikkim | 15/04/2015 |
- Born to Late Madan Mohan Rasaily, former Home Secretary, Government of Sikkim and Mrs. Rabi Mala Rasaily (nee Moktan), former Teacher, Baha'i School, Gangtok, East Sikkim on 12th July, 1964, she began her schooling at Tathangchen School, Gangtok, where, after completing her “Infants Class”, she joined Dowhill School at Kurseong, West Bengal as a boarder in the year 1970, from where she completed her Class X in the year 1980. In 1981, she entered Tashi Namgyal Academy, Gangtok and completed her Class XII in March, 1983. 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.
- 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.
- While posted as Registrar and Registrar General, she held additional charge of :
(a) District & Sessions Judge (Special Division-I)
(b) Judge, Family Court of Sikkim
(c) Secretary, High Court Legal Services Committee
(d) Member Secretary, Sikkim State Legal Services Authority
(e) Central Project Coordinator (e-Committee) - On 27.10.2008, she was transferred and posted as District & Sessions Judge (East & North) Sikkim at Gangtok till 14.04.2009, where she held additional charge of District & Sessions Judge (Special Division-I) at Gangtok and 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 East and North Sikkim.
(b)Special Judge, Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
(c)Single Member, MACT for East and North Sikkim.
(d)Judge, Family Court for the whole of Sikkim.
(e)Special Judge, Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
(f)President, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (East & North) Districts of Sikkim.
(g)Member Secretary, Sikkim State Legal Services Authority
(h)Secretary, High Court Legal Services Committee - She was transferred back as Registrar General, High Court of Sikkim on 09.04.2009 and joined the post on 15.04.2009. She held additional charge of Member Secretary, Sikkim State Legal Services Authority from January 2005 till January 2010. She was Secretary, High Court Legal Services Committee from 28.03.2007 till 27.03.2009.
- 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.
- Her Ladyship presently holds the following assignment;
1. Executive Chairperson, Sikkim State Legal Services Authority since December 11, 2015. - Appointed as Acting Chief Justice w.e.f. 01.07.2018 to 29.10.2018
17.09.2019 to 14.10.2019
15.07.2020 to 06.08.2020
01.09.2021 to 11.10.2021
| Sitting at | Gangtok |
| Address | "NAHUM KHIM", M.M. Rasaily Road, Sichey, Gangtok, Sikkim - 737101 |
| justice.meenakshi@aij.gov.in |
| Name | Hon'ble Mr. Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan, Judge |
| Date of Birth | 19/10/1966 |
| Initial Joining | 23/05/2017 |
| Joining at Sikkim | 23/05/2017 |
- Hon'ble Shri Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan, son of late Bhim Raj Pradhan, former Law Secretary and Legal Remembrancer, Government of Sikkim and Mrs. Bindumati Pradhan, former Joint Secretary, Government of Sikkim, after having completed his schooling initially from Tashi Namgal Academy, Gangtok and thereafter from St. Pauls School, Darjeeling, went on to graduate with B.A (Political Science Hons.) degree from Elphinstone College, Mumbai. He obtained Bachelor of Law (LLB) Degree from Government Law College, Mumbai, in the year 1991 and enrolled himself with the Bar Council of Maharastra in August 1991. Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan worked as an associate in Khaitan & Co. Advocates & Solicitors, Himalaya House, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi from 1991 to 1994 and thereafter as an associate in Karanjawala & Co., Advocates & Solicitors, D-10, Defence Colony, New Delhi from 1994 to 1998. During the period 1991-1998, Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan practiced before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, Hon'ble Delhi High Court, Hon'ble Rajasthan High Court at Jaipur as well as extensively before the District Courts, Tribunals, Commissions etc.
- In the year 1998, Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan resettled in Sikkim and started his practice before the Hon'ble High Court of Sikkim at Gangtok and the District Courts of the four districts of Sikkim. He has over the period appeared before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India as well as various High Courts of the country in Criminal, Civil and Constitutional matters. He has also conducted numerous trials in both Criminal and Civil matters before the District Courts of Sikkim, Assam and New Delhi. Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan was designated as Senior Advocate in the year 2008 by the High Court of Sikkim at Gangtok at the age of 42 years. Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan is a life member of Bar Association of India, New Delhi and Bar Association of Sikkim and also a member of Indian Law Institute, New Delhi. For the period 2009-2012, Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan was elected and held the post of the General Secretary of the Bar Association of Sikkim and thereafter as its President from the year 2015 till the date of his elevation as a Judge of the Hon'ble High Court of Sikkim.
- Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan has undergone training at the National Legal Service Authority, New Delhi in July, 2015 as a Master Trainer. He was a member of the Committee constituted by the Hon'ble High Court of Sikkim to examine and suggest all procedural aspects of laws pertaining to filing of petition, appeal etc including necessary amendments to be incorporated in the Sikkim High Court (Practice and Procedure) Rules, 1991. He has also been a Member of the Monitoring Committee, District Legal Services Authority, East & North Sikkim at Gangtok from the year 2010 till the date of his elevation. Similarly, he was also a member of the High Court of Sikkim, Museum Committee, which has set up the first Judicial Museum in Sikkim.
- Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan has rendered his professional services to the Sikkim Legal Services Authority, (SLSA) without accepting any professional remuneration and with a request that the said amounts may be utilised towards the cause of SLSA. He was also appointed as Amicus Curiae in various matters by the Hon'ble High Court of Sikkim. He has delivered numerous lectures on various subjects as resource person for the SLSA, Sikkim Judicial Academy, Sikkim University and Sikkim Government Law College.
- Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan was also Joint Coordinator and contributor to the Criminal Justice India Series, Volume 18, Sikkim, a book on the administration of the Criminal Justice in Sikkim, published by Allied Publishers Private Limited in collaboration with National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata funded by the Ford Foundation and guided by the School of Criminal Justice Administration. Hon'ble Mr. Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan took oath on 23rd May 2017 as a Judge of High Court of Sikkim, at Gangtok and assumed charge of the Office of the Judge, High Court of Sikkim in the forenoon of the same date.
| Sitting at | Gangtok |
| Address | Bungalow No. 14, VIP Colony, Gangtok, Sikkim - 737103 |
| justice.brpradhan@aij.gov.in |