It is really great and most interesting to see that Hon’ble Mrs Justice Revati Mohite Dere known all over for speaking truth to power was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court by the Governor of Meghalaya – Mr CH Vijayashankar at a function held at the Durbar Hall of the Lok Bhavan on January 10, 2025. She is the second woman Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court after Hon’ble Mrs Justice T Meena Kumari thus becoming second women to head Shillong High Court marking a historic moment. It must be mentioned here that Meghalaya is known for its matrilineal social structure and her appointment is definitely bound to send a fresh hope for those who seek justice and above all her own reputation is most impeccable and so also has exemplary track record which people become aware very soon as we are living in digital age since last two decades!
It must be laid bare that the Central Government while exercising its constitutional authority under Articles 217 and 222 of the Constitution of India had notified her transfer on January 1, 2026 after the Supreme Court Collegium made the recommendation of her appointment as Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice on December 18, 2025. She has replaced Hon’ble Mr Justice Soumen Sen as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court who has been posted to the Kerala High Court. It merits just no reiteration whatsoever that legal experts opine her elevation to the top post in judiciary in Meghalaya High Court as a very great step towards greater gender representation in the higher judiciary and so also definitely a signal of institutional inclusivity at the constitutional level.
It must definitely be brought to light here that Hon’ble Mrs Justice Revati Mohite Dere in her farewell speech just days before she took oath as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court said in no uncertain terms most unambiguously that, “The work of a judge is not just to interpret law, but also to uphold people’s faith in the judiciary.” During a full court reference to bid her farewell at the Bombay High Court, she also candidly disclosed that being a judge was a “calling” for her and “not just a profession”. Undoubtedly, she was one of the senior-most women Judges of the country’s second largest High Court that is Bombay High Court. The largest High Court among all the States is Allahabad High Court not in just India, not in just Asia but in the whole world!
For my esteemed readers exclusive indulgence, it must be laid bare that during her farewell full court reference that was held on December 8, the Advocate General of Maharashtra – Milind Sathe recounted an incident from 1985, where during a conference in Pune, he witnessed a young girl discussing the pros and cons of the five-year law course with her seniors. While expressing his immense happiness, Milind Sathe further laying bare his true feelings said explicitly: “That young, bright girl is today poised to be Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court. True to the meaning of her name, she has shown empathy, compassion and kindness in abundance to everyone and in her decision-making process.”
It is worth noting that the President of the Bombay Bar Association and Senior Advocate – Nitin Thakker said clearly that the Judge was someone with a soft voice and so also an iron resolve. Nitin Thakker also while reflecting on her attitude quite frankly said that, “She taught us that one does not need to be loud to be heard, and one does not need to be harsh to be tough.”
She was born at Pune and she did her schooling from St Joseph’s High School at Pashan in Pune and completed her Higher Secondary Certificate (H.Sc.) from Ferguson College (Arts) in Pune and received National Merit Certificate for standing in the Merit List. She then passed the Five Year Law Course from reputed Symbiosis Law College in Pune and it was the first batch of Five Year Law Course. She secured a First Class with Distinction in BSL and LLB and stood 2nd in the Merit List in University of Pune as Symbiosis Law College then came under Pune University and had no independent status as a University but since last couple of years Symbiosis has its own status of University. She then further also studied LLM at the University of Cambridge, UK and was the recipient of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship for LLM.
After completing her LLM, she then joined the Chambers of her father who is an eminent senior advocate – Vijayrao A Mohite at Pune and thereafter the Chambers of Barrister Raja S Bhosale in Mumbai before serving as Public Prosecutor and Government Pleader for Maharashtra. She practiced in the Sessions Court of Pune and so also at the Bombay High Court on the criminal, civil and constitutional side. She developed deep expertise in legal profession very soon in her career and was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013 and then made a Permanent Judge in March 2016.
Of course, her remarkable judgments of very exceptional quality delivered by her earlier speaks for themselves! She has also consistently interpreted the Constitution through the lens of equality and dignity, challenging patriarchal norms in public and marital spheres and always standing for justice, equality and fairness! In hindsight, it may be recalled that in her initial days as Judge in 2016, she played a formidable role in the landmark ruling that allowed women unrestricted access to Mumbai’s Haji Ali Dargah declaring the gender based ban a violation of Articles 14, 15 and 25. Even more significantly, we saw how her uncompromising stance on sexual violence by some men culminated in her Bench upholding death penalty for repeat offenders in the Shakti Mills gang rape case in 2019 which definitely has to be applauded!
Not stopping here, we also witnessed how in 2021, while affirming a man’s conviction for fatally attacking his wife, she rejected claims of provocation asserting most unequivocally that a wife is not a possession but an equal partner. Most brilliantly, we must note that she also advocated for reforming Section 498A of the IPC to allow non-compoundable offences to become compoundable with court approval. To put it differently, while pressing for reform of Section 498A of IPC, she most stoutly suggested that the Union government should consider making the non-compoundable offence compoundable with court permission, in cases where parties have settled their disputes. It is high time that this much misused Section 498A of IPC be amended as advocated so passionately by her who has many decades of matchless experience first as lawyer and then as a Judge in the Bench!
What also cannot be glossed over is that she also treated encounter cases and custodial violence as failures of the rule of law, demanding transparency and proper registration of FIR in such cases. Notably, we need to bear in mind that even in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh case, she had the guts to question the CBI’s selective prosecution. It would be instructive to note that the Division Bench led by her also repeatedly questioned why the CBI had not challenged the discharge of senior IPS officers while actively opposing relief only for lower-ranking officials which not only fortifies the voice and concern raised of selective prosecution but also makes it quite palpable that there is more to it than just meets the eye! She also seriously questioned the CBI’s too much interest in protecting numerous witnesses who were turning hostile in the trial! It also has to be borne in mind that her rulings have also safeguarded the rights of queer couples and their children.
We need to note that she also headed a Division Bench that had refused to grant bail to Pradeep Sharma in the Antilia terror scare case, noting probe gaps including his unexplained presence at the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s office in March 2021. It may also be recounted that in the Badalpur alleged fake encounter case of 2024-25, she expressed her resentment and warned against delayed FIRs in such serious cases despite clear magisterial findings. She reasoned that the judicial system’s credibility was at stake and compelled registration under contempt threat.
We also certainly cannot afford to ignore that in the ICICI-Videocon case, her Bench questioned CBI delays after lodging the 2019 FIR. She also granted interim bail to former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar on grounds of illegal arrest. She too often has also expanded the protections under Article 21, pushing back against investigative excess. It must be recalled here that in 2022, her Bench had stepped forward boldly to hold most commendably that the right to sleep and blink constituted an inalienable part of Article 21 and directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to record statements during reasonable hours after overnight interrogation allegations.
As Juvenile Justice Committee Chairperson, she had played a very pivotal role to reform the Dongri Observation Home. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh was most candid in conceding frankly that, “Her vision was to ensure that home produces a conducive environment for the overall development of the children who are in need of the care and protection. I have seen photographs of the centres and it is just like some three-star hotels.”
In a nutshell, it can definitely be said with certitude that in her new avatar as Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court, she will definitely fulfill all the many high expectations that people and litigants have from her. If her past is any guide, the people and litigants in Meghalaya definitely need not worry at all on any score as it is beyond a straw of doubt that she will definitely never disappoint them on any score and will perform most superbly! No denying or disputing it!
Sanjeev Sirohi