DHARAMSHALA: The 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, on the sixth day of its second session, appointed incumbent Secretary of the Department of Education, Dr. Ngawang Rabgyal, as the new Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, Central Tibetan Administration.

Dr. Ngawang Rabgyal secured 24 votes against DIIR Secretary Ms. Nangsa Choedon with 18 votes in a voting held in the Parliament, following the nomination proposed by a three-member selection committee comprising of former Chief Justice Commissioner Mr. Namgyal Tsering, former Kalons Kirti Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin and Ven. Tsering Phuntsok

The Chief Justice Commissioner and two Justice Commissioners are appointed by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile through election out of nominated candidates recommended by a selection committee of three of five members, instituted by the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile along with the Sikyong, in accordance with the provision of article 63, clause no. 1 of the Charter of Tibetans-in-Exile.

Dr. Ngawang Rabgyal was born in 1955, in Shingri, Tibet. After coming into exile in 1964, he attended CST Dalhousie and pursued B.A. (Hons.), M.A. in Political Science from Delhi University and B. Ed. from Jamia Milla Islamic University, New Delhi. He acquired Ph.D. in International Relations from Kiev University, Ukraine.

Dr. Rabgyal joined the Central Tibetan Administration in 1980 and served the administration in various positions: Dept. of Security from 1980-1982; Researcher and Deputy Secretary at Bureau of H.H. the Dalai Lama in New Delhi from 1987-1993; Representative of H.H the Dalai Lama to Russia, CIS and Mongolia at Office of Tibet in Moscow from 1993-1997; Additional Secretary at DIIR from 1997-1998; Representative of H.H. the Dalai Lama to America at Office of Tibet in New York (now shifted to Washington DC) from 1999-2005; Administrative Secretary at DIIR from 2005-2008; Representative of H.H the Dalai Lama to Russia, CIS and Mongolia at Office of Tibet in Moscow from 2008-2015; and currently the Secretary of Dept. of Education since 2015.