Ranchi: Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak was sworn in as the chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court on Friday. Governor Santosh Gangwar administered the oath of office at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan.
The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Birsa Munda Mandap, where Chief Minister Hemant Soren, judges of the High Court, the Advocate General, the chairman and office-bearers of the State Bar Council, along with several ministers and senior officials of the state government, were present.
Justice Sonak will serve as the chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court till November 28, 2026. He has been transferred to Jharkhand from the Bombay High Court. The dignitaries present at the ceremony congratulated him on assuming the new responsibility.
Justice Sonak was enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in October 1988. He practiced extensively at the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court, handling matters related to civil and constitutional law, labour and service law, environmental law, commercial and tax cases, company law, and public interest litigation.
During his legal career, he served as additional standing counsel for the central government, special counsel for the state government, and provided legal services to various corporations. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013.
Born on November 28, 1964, Justice Sonak completed his schooling at Don Bosco High School in Panaji, Goa. He later earned a BSc degree from Dhempe College of Arts and Science and obtained his LLB with first division from MS College of Law, Panaji. He also holds a diploma in the Portuguese language from the Xavier Centre of Historical Research.
