Dharamshala: - The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Saturday, September 21 appointed Secretary for Religion and Culture, Mr Ngawang Choedak Choetri Tengpa, as the new Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission.
Mr Ngawang Choedak polled 21 votes against 16 for Mr Kargyu Dhondup, the auditor general of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), in a voting held in the Parliament. He earlier served as secretary of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission.
The Chief Justice Commissioner and two Justice Commissioners are appointed by the Parliament through election out of nominated candidates submitted by a selection committee, which is constituted by a committee of Chief Justice Commissioner, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Tibetan Parliament and Sikyong.
Mr Choedak was born in the family of Lho Dokhar Choetri Tengpa in 1955. He came to India in exile in 1959 through Bhutan. He did his schooling from Mussoorie and graduation from Chandigarh.
He joined the CTA civil services in the year 1975. Choedak was initially posted at Orissa Tibetan settlement. He served in various positions in different departments of the Central Tibetan Administration till date.
According to CTA, one of his remarkable services and contributions during his tenure as a decorated civil servant include the establishment of new Palrabling Tibetan settlement in Kullu Manali.
He went to the United States for a one-year study of international politics and administrative studies from 1994 -1995. He was promoted to the post of Secretary for the Department of Security in 2004.
From 2005 to 2010, he was the Secretary of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission. From December 2012 till his election as the new Justice Commissioner, he was serving as the Secretary for the Department of Religion and Culture.
