Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sonam Phintso Wangdi joined State Government Service as Deputy District Magistrate-cum-District Collector for a brief period but later resigned to resume his legal profession. He was enrolled as an Advocate on 5th July, 1982 and designed as a Senior Advocate by the Calcutta High Court in January, 2000. He was appointed as Junior Central Government Counsel in 1983, Additional Central Government Standing Counsel in 1985 and then as Central Government Standing Counsel in 1987 and Senior Central Government Standing Counsel which has since been redesignated as Assistant Solicitor General of India. He was also appointed as Special Public Prosecutor in 1995 for conducing cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and also as Public Prosecutor for the High Court in the same year before he was appointed as the Additional Advocate General of the State of Sikkim but under Article 165 of the Constitution of India with effect from 16/08/1997 to 16/11/1998 and thereafter as the Advocate General with effect from 17/11/1998 until his elevation as a Judge. As Advocate General of the State, he was also an ex-officio member of the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal and Sikkim since May 2005 when for the first time the Advocates’ Act 1961 was enforced in the State. He held the post of working President of the Sikkim High Court Advocates Bar Association for the period 1989-1995, 1996-1998, its Advisor and later unanimously elected as the President of the Bar Association of Sikkim. During his professional career Justice Wangdi was retained by various Public Sector Undertakings, namely State Bank of India, UCO Bank, Gangtok Municipal Corporation, Sikkim Development & Industries Corporation, etc. He also advised the High Court of Sikkim on sensitive legal issues and conducted cases on its behalf both in the High Court as well as the Supreme Court. He had also appeared in various other High Courts, including the Calcutta High Court, Delhi High Court, Jharkhand High Court and the Supreme Court. Had put in more than 25 years of practice in the legal profession before being elevated as Judge of the High Court of Sikkim. During his tenure as a Judge, he held the following assignments:-

(i) Chief Justice (Acting) of the Sikkim High Court intermittently for a period of 6 months and 28 days, longest of which were from 30/07/2011 to 11/12/2011 (4 months 13 days) and 01/03/2013 to 27/03/2013.

(ii) Judge Administration (C & D).

(iii) Member, Executive Committee of the National Legal Services Authority, New Delhi w.e.f. April 11, 2013 till superannuation.

(iv) Executive Chairman, Sikkim State Legal Services Authority since March 9, 2010 till superannuation.

(v) Chairman, High Court Legal Services Committee since May 22, 2010 till superannuation.

(vi) President, Sikkim State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission since June 8, 2010 till superannuation.

(vii) President, Sikkim Judicial Academy w.e.f. 02/10/2013 to 24/07/2014.

(viii) Judge-in-charge: e-Courts project, Juvenile justice, Administration, Buildings Committee, Library Committee, etc.

(ix) Joined as Judicial Member in the National Green Tribunal on and from 22/01/2016 after demitting his office from the Sikkim High Court.