The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of Sikkim High Court Judge Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai as the next Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.

The recommendation was made during the Collegium meeting held on May 22, 2026.

Justice Rai is set to assume office after the retirement of the current Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, on June 4, 2026.

Born on July 12, 1964, Justice Rai completed her schooling in Gangtok and Kurseong. She pursued Political Science (Honours) at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, and later obtained her LL.B. degree from the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, in 1989.

She enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1990 and practiced before the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court before joining the Sikkim Judicial Service in December 1990 as a Judicial Magistrate First Class-cum-Civil Judge. She was the first woman from Sikkim to be appointed to the post.

Over the course of her judicial career, Justice Rai has served in various capacities, including Chief Judicial Magistrate, District and Sessions Judge, Registrar General of the Sikkim High Court, and Principal District and Sessions Judge.

She has also dealt with cases under several special legislations, including the NDPS Act, the Sikkim Anti-Drugs Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, MACT matters, and cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Justice Rai was elevated as a permanent judge of the Sikkim High Court on April 15, 2015, becoming the first woman from Sikkim to be appointed to the High Court Bench. She has also served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court on multiple occasions.