On 22 May 2026, the Supreme Court Collegium led by CJI Surya Kant, recommended the appointment of Justice Meenakshi M. Rai as Chief Justice of Patna High Court consequent upon retirement of incumbent Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo on 4 June 2026.
Justice Meenakshi M. Rai is currently serving as a Judge in Sikkim High Court.
*Did you Know? Justice Meenakshi M. Rai became the first woman from the State of Sikkim to be elevated as Judge of Sikkim High Court1.
Born on 12 July 1964, Justice Meenakshi M. Rai began her schooling at Tathangchen School, Gangtok and thereafter 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 LL.B course till 1989.
Justice Meenakshi enrolled in the Bar Association of Delhi in 1990 and worked in the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India under an Advocate on Record.
Thereafter, she was appointed as Judicial Magistrate 1st Class-cum-Civil Judge (East) District at Gangtok, Sikkim in the cadre of Sikkim Judicial Service, being the first lady from Sikkim to be appointed to the said post. She was later promoted to the post of Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Civil Judge (East & North) Districts of Sikkim at Gangtok in April 2000. In August 2004, she was promoted as District & Sessions Judge (Special Division-II) at Gangtok in the cadre of the Sikkim Superior Judicial Service.
After series of subsequent transfers and holding several positions of responsibility within the District Judiciary, Justice Meenakshi was elevated as Judge of Sikkim High Court on 15 April 2015. During her tenure as High Court Judge, Justice Meenakshi also performed the responsibilities of Acting Chief Justice in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and December 2025 to January 2026.
