Justice Revati Mohite Dere sworn in as chief justice of Meghalaya High Court

Justice Revati Mohite Dere took oath as the chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court on January 10, marking a new leadership phase for the state’s judiciary.

The oath of office was administered by Governor CH Vijayashankar at a ceremony held at the Durbar Hall of Lok Bhavan in Shillong.

Justice Dere succeeds Justice Soumen Sen, who has been transferred to the Kerala High Court. Before her appointment, Justice Dere served as a judge of the Bombay High Court.

Born in Pune, Justice Dere completed her schooling at St Joseph’s High School, Pashan, and her higher secondary education at Ferguson College, Pune, where she received a National Merit Certificate. She graduated from Symbiosis Law College, Pune, securing first class with distinction in BSL and LLB, and stood second in the LLB merit list of the University of Pune. She later pursued an LLM at the University of Cambridge, supported by the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship.

After completing her postgraduate studies, Justice Dere trained under senior advocate Vijayrao A. Mohite and later under barrister Raja S. Bhosale. Her legal practice spanned criminal, civil and constitutional matters before the High Court and Sessions Court.

She also served as assistant government pleader in the writ cell at the Bombay High Court, senior counsel for the Union of India, and additional public prosecutor for the Union of India. Prior to her elevation to the Bench, she was appointed government pleader and public prosecutor for the state of Maharashtra, appearing in several significant cases, including public interest litigations.

Justice Dere was appointed an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2013, and was made a permanent judge on March 2, 2016. She was appointed chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court on January 1, 2026, and formally assumed office on January 10, 2026.