Dharamshala, India — The new Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission took his oath of office Friday in front of an auditorium packed with dignitaries and officials, in the northern hill Indian town of Dharmsala, the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Tenzin Lungtok succeeds, Ngawang Rabgyal who is retiring from his service. The ceremony, which was presided over by Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo at Sikyong auditorium, was followed by an event of offering traditional ceremonial Tibetan scarfs - around Lungtok's neck.
After 24 years of service in various roles and positions within the exile Tibetan community, the new Justice Commissioner and former Secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture, Lungtok was elected the Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission during the eighth session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile held in September 2019.
Speaker of Tibetan parliament-in-Exile, Deputy Speaker, Justice Commissioners, Kalons or ministers, heads of the Autonomous bodies and members, Secretaries of CTA functionaries were among those who attended the event.
Lungtok has been serving the Central Tibetan Administration, previously knowns as the Government of Tibet, for over 24 years. He began his service in 1995 as the Department of Security Under Secretary. He was promoted to Department of Education Deputy Secretary in 1999 and appointed as the Public Service Commission Deputy Secretary in 2004. , he was promoted to Joint Secretary at the Department of Finance.
As a Joint Secretary, Lungtok served in the Department of Home and the Election Commission from August 2006 – 2012. He was promoted to Additional Secretary in 2012. Lungtok was promoted to Secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture in 2017.
The Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission is the highest judicial organ and one of the three most important pillars of the Tibetan democratic administration in exile or the Tibetan government-in-exile.
The Commission is composed of the Chief Justice Commissioner and two other Justice Commissioners. They are appointed by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile through election out of nominated candidates submitted by the Selection Committee, which is constituted by a Committee of Chief Justice Commissioner, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in exile and Kalon Tripa or Sikyong (Chief of the Cabinet), of the Kashag, the highest executive office of the CTA.
