Just a few days before retiring on February 25, Justice Sonia Gokani was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Gujarat high court, becoming the first female judge to be elevated to the position at the high court.
Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office to Justice Gokani at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Judge of Supreme Court Justice Bela Trivedi, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state Law and Justice Minister Rishikesh Patel were present on the occasion.
On February 12, the Centre accepted Justice Gokani's appointment, and as of February 13 she had assumed the title of Chief Justice (Designate). Her appointment coincided with Justice Aravind Kumar's promotion to the position of Supreme Court judge.
Justice Gokani, joins as the 28th Chief Justice of Gujarat high court, will retire on February 25, making her tenure the shortest. She was elevated to the position of Gujarat High Court Additional Judge on February 17, 2011, and was confirmed as a permanent judge on January 28, 2013. She was born in Jamnagar on February 26, 1961.
She joined the judiciary directly as a judge at the city civil and sessions court in Ahmedabad on July 10, 1995, and presided over many civil and criminal matters. From 2003 through 2008, Judge Gokani presided over significant cases as a judge for the special court established in accordance with anti-terror regulations. Also, she served as a special judge in cases that the Central Bureau of Investigation looked into.