NEW DELHI: In a historic milestone for India’s judiciary, Meenakshi Madan Rai has been appointed Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, becoming the first female judge from Sikkim to head a high court in the country.

Justice Rai succeeds Sangam Kumar Sahoo, who served as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court in India until his retirement earlier this year.

She began her judicial career in Sikkim in 1990 as the state’s first female judicial magistrate first class cum civil judge and later served in several senior judicial and administrative roles, including chief judicial magistrate, district and sessions judge, registrar general of the High Court of Sikkim, and acting chief justice.

In 2015, Justice Rai became the first female from Sikkim to be elevated as a judge of the High Court of Sikkim. Her latest elevation is being celebrated in India as a landmark achievement for both Sikkim and women in the legal profession.