Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 10: Justice Soumen Sen was sworn in as the chief justice of the Kerala High Court on Saturday at a formal ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar administered the oath of office in the presence of High Court judges, senior officials and other dignitaries.
Following the ceremony, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and governor Arlekar congratulated the newly appointed chief justice and presented him with a bouquet.
Justice Sen’s appointment was earlier cleared by the Centre based on the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. His elevation comes in the wake of the retirement of Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar, who demitted office on January 9, 2026.
A notification issued last week by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice stated that the President of India, exercising powers under Article 222(1) of the Constitution and after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, ordered the transfer of Justice Soumen Sen from the Meghalaya High Court to assume office as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.
Born on July 27, 1965, Justice Sen completed his schooling at St. Lawrence High School in Kolkata and earned his five-year LL.B. degree from the University of Calcutta in 1990. He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of West Bengal in January 1991 and went on to practise for nearly two decades before the Calcutta High Court, as well as various courts and tribunals.
During his legal career, he handled a wide range of matters, including civil, constitutional, banking and arbitration cases. He also represented several prominent institutions and statutory bodies such as the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI and SIDBI.
Justice Sen was elevated as a judge of the Calcutta High Court on April 13, 2011. He was later appointed Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court on September 26, 2025, and took oath in that role on October 8, 2025, before his transfer to Kerala.