The Central Government has notified the appointment of Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque, a judge of the Kerala High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.

The appointment has been made on the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, following its meeting held on December 18.

Justice Mustaque will assume charge as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court from the date he takes office. At present, Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai is functioning as the Acting Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.

Born on June 1, 1967, Justice Mustaque hails from Kannur, Kerala. He completed his law degree from VB College of Law, Udupi, and obtained an LLM in Labour Law from Mahatma Gandhi University.

He enrolled as an advocate in 1989 and practised before various courts and statutory authorities, mainly in Kannur. He later undertook specialised international courses in space and telecommunication law at Paris XI University, private international law at the Hague Academy, and e-commerce and intellectual property law at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Justice Mustaque was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court in 2014, became a Permanent Judge in 2016, and served as Acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court in 2024.

The Sikkim High Court, the smallest High Court in the country, currently has two judges. With Justice Mustaque’s appointment, its working strength will reach the full sanctioned strength of three judges