Guwahati: The Central government has approved the appointment of two additional judges of the Gauhati High Court as permanent judges. The Law Ministry also extended the term of another additional judge by one year.
Judges Made Permanent
Justice Budi Habung and Justice N. Unni Krishnan Nair have been confirmed as permanent judges of the Gauhati High Court. Both were appointed as additional judges in 2023 and have now been elevated to permanent positions.
Justice Budi Habung: First Arunachal District Judge
Born on April 6, 1969, in Hong village, Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, Justice Habung completed his LL.B. from North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.
He enrolled as an advocate in 2000, practicing in trial courts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the Gauhati High Court. He also served as General Secretary of the Gauhati High Court Itanagar Permanent Bench Bar Association between 2008 and 2010.
In 2009, during the first recruitment of judicial officers in Arunachal Pradesh, he topped the examination and became the state’s first District and Sessions Judge in 2010. He later served as Member Secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh State Legal Services Authority and as Registrar of the Gauhati High Court, Itanagar Permanent Bench, before his elevation as additional judge in September 2023.
Justice N. Unni Krishnan Nair: Senior Advocate Turned Judge
Born on July 28, 1971, Justice Nair completed his LL.B. from J.B. Law College, Guwahati, in 1996 before enrolling as an advocate in the same year. He practiced extensively in constitutional, civil, service, contract, and arbitration matters before the Gauhati High Court and subordinate courts, as well as the Central Administrative Tribunal.
Justice Nair served as standing counsel for various government departments, including Home & Border Affairs, Railways, and Pension & Public Grievances, and also represented entities such as Oil India Limited and Numaligarh Refinery.
He was appointed standing counsel of the Gauhati High Court in 2012 and was designated a Senior Advocate in 2017. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court in November 2023.
Term Extension
The government has also cleared the appointment of Justice Kaushik Goswami as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court for a fresh one-year term. His extension will take effect from November 10, 2025.
