Library of the High Court of Meghalaya

Supporting Justice through Knowledge, Research and Information Services

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Welcome to the High Court of Meghalaya Library

The Library of the High Court of Meghalaya serves as the principal legal information and research centre for the Hon'ble Judges of the High Court. Since the establishment of the High Court in 2013, the library has grown into one of the state's premier repositories of legal literature, supporting judicial research, legal reference service, and informed decision-making.

The library provides comprehensive print and digital resources, timely reference services, and research assistance to facilitate the administration of justice. Equipped with modern information technology and access to leading legal databases, the library strives to ensure that authentic legal information is readily available whenever required.

About the Library

The High Court of Meghalaya was established on 23 March 2013 under the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012. Simultaneously, the Judges' Library was established to provide comprehensive legal information support to the Hon'ble Judges.

Beginning with a collection of approximately 15,072 volumes, the library has steadily expanded through systematic acquisitions, government publications, law reports, and legal journals. Today, the library houses approximately 34,000 documents.

The library primarily caters to:

Primary Users

Hon'ble Chief Justice
Hon'ble Judges
Law Clerks
Officers of the Registry
Court Staff

In addition to the main Judges' Library, workable collections are maintained in the residential libraries of the Hon'ble Judges to ensure uninterrupted access to legal resources.

Collection Development

Over the years, the Judges' Library has adopted a continuous collection development policy to maintain an updated and balanced legal collection.

Collection	Details
Total Collection	Approximately 34,000 Documents
Initial Collection (2013)	15,072 Books
Law Books	Extensive Collection
Central Government Publications	Available
State Government Publications	Available
Law Reports	Available
Legal Journals	Indian
Newspapers	National & Local
Magazines	Current Affairs & General Interest

Apart from the collections mentioned above, the Library also maintains an extensive and valuable collection on the North Eastern Region, encompassing a wide range of subjects and disciplines. The collection includes resources relating to the region’s history, culture, society, customary practices, governance, law, politics, economy, environment, literature, languages, and development. This specialised collection serves as an important source of information and reference for judicial research, legal reference service, and the study of the unique socio-cultural and regional dimensions of North-East India.

Books & Reference Collection

The library possesses an extensive collection of authoritative legal books covering all major branches of law, including constitutional law, criminal law, civil law, taxation, labour law, commercial law, arbitration, environmental law, intellectual property, and international law.

The reference collection includes internationally acclaimed legal works such as:

Halsbury's Laws of England
Corpus Juris Secundum
U.S. Supreme Court Report
Words and Phrases
Law Lexicon

These resources provide authoritative legal interpretations and facilitate judicial research.

Law Journals & Reports

The library subscribes to leading Indian law journals and reports while preserving historical legal publications through bound volumes.

The table below lists the periodical holdings of the Judges' Library. The symbol (→) indicates that the subscription is current.

Abbreviation	Journal / Report	Holdings	Status
AIR	All India Reporter	1950 →	Current
AIR (SCW)	All India Reporter: Supreme Court Weekly	2001 →	Current
ACJ	Accident Claims Journal	1958 →	Current
CCL	Current Central Legislation	1978–2023	Discontinued
CrLJ	Criminal Law Journal	1904 →	Current
GLT	Gauhati Law Times	1995 →	Current
GLR	Gauhati Law Report	1981–2016	Discontinued
MJ	Meghalaya Judgment	2013–2020	Discontinued
NEJ	North East Judgments	2011–2020	Discontinued
SCC	Supreme Court Cases	1969 →	Current
SCC (Cri)	Supreme Court Cases (Criminal)	1970 →	Current
TAC	Transport & Accident Cases	1976 →	Current
SCR	Supreme Court Reports	1950–1978; 2015–2019	Archived Collection
SCALE	Supreme Court Almanac	1981–2024	Discontinued
ITR	Income Tax Reports	1933–1990	Archived Collection
LIC	Labour & Industrial Cases	1968–1999	Archived Collection
TLR	Taxation Law Reports	1971–1999	Archived Collection
SLJ	All India Service Law Journals	1974–1989	Archived Collection
—	Madras High Court Reports	1862–1863; 1874–1875	Archived Collection
—	Criminal Appeals Reporter	1968–1975	Archived Collection
—	Law Reports – Indian Appeals	1873–1874; 1949–1950	Archived Collection
—	Moore's Indian Appeals	1863–1872	Archived Collection
—	All India Tax Tribunals Judgments	1976–1977	Archived Collection
—	Assam Law Reports	1960–1977	Archived Collection
—	Indian Law Reports (Assam)	1949–1967	Archived Collection
—	Indian Cases	1909–1946	Archived Collection
—	High Court Reports Bombay (Vols. 1–12)	1914–1927	Archived Collection
—	Crimes	1983–2009	Archived Collection

Foreign Reports

The library also maintains collections of:

All England Law Reports
U.S. Supreme Court Law Reports

These publications have been systematically bound and preserved, ensuring long-term accessibility for legal research.

Newspapers & Magazines

The library subscribes to both regional and national newspapers to keep users informed about current legal and public affairs.

Local Newspapers

Shillong Times
Meghalaya Guardian
Highland Post
Meghalaya Times

National Newspaper

Times of India

Magazines

SIndia Today
Outlook
Reader's Digest
Open Magazine

Digital Resources

The Judges' Library, High Court of Meghalaya provides access to leading online legal research databases to support judicial research, legal reference service, and informed decision-making. These digital resources offer authoritative access to case law, legislation, legal commentaries, journals, notifications, and other essential legal materials, enabling users to conduct comprehensive and efficient legal research.

Online Legal Databases

SCC Online

SCC Online is one of India's leading legal research databases, providing comprehensive access to judgments of the Supreme Court of India, High Courts, tribunals, and international courts. It offers an extensive collection of statutes, rules, regulations, legal commentaries, journal articles, digests, and case notes. Renowned for its advanced search capabilities, citation tools, and regularly updated content, SCC Online enables efficient legal research and supports informed judicial decision-making.

Key Resources

Supreme Court and High Court Judgments
Central and State Legislation
Legal Commentaries
Law Journals
Digests and Case Notes
Citation and Case Reference Tools

Manupatra

Manupatra is a comprehensive online legal research platform that provides access to an extensive repository of Indian case law, legislation, notifications, circulars, legal articles, and policy documents. Its powerful search features, citation analysis, and legal updates make it an indispensable resource for legal professionals, judges, researchers, and academicians seeking reliable and current legal information.

Key Resources

Case Law from Supreme Court, High Courts and Tribunals
Bare Acts and Rules
Notifications and Circulars
Legal Articles and Updates
Citation Analysis
Daily Legal News

AIR Online

AIR Online is the digital legal research platform of the All India Reporter (AIR), one of India's oldest and most authoritative legal publishers. It provides access to a vast collection of reported judgments, statutes, legal digests, commentaries, and reference materials. With comprehensive coverage of Supreme Court and High Court decisions, AIR Online serves as a trusted source for judicial research, legal practice, and academic study.

Key Resources

All India Reporter (AIR) Judgments
Supreme Court and High Court Decisions
Statutes and Rules
Legal Digests
Commentaries and Reference Materials
Citation Search

Library Services

The Judges' Library offers a wide range of professional library and information services to support judicial functioning.

Core Services

Reference Services
Legal Research Assistance
Literature Search
Citation Delivery during Court Proceedings
Digitizing important Press Clippings
Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)
Housekeeping of Library Collections
Maintenance of the Hon'ble Chief Justice's Residential Library
OPAC Support
Maintenance of Hon'ble Judges' Residential Libraries

The library also provides prompt reference support during court sittings whenever legal authorities are required.

Library Systems

Koha Integrated Library System

The Judges' Library employs Koha, an open-source Integrated Library System (ILS), to manage cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, serials, patron records, and other core library operations.

Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)

The OPAC is the public interface of Koha, enabling users to search the library's holdings by title, author, subject, keyword, ISBN, or call number. It provides quick access to bibliographic information and helps users locate materials available in the library.

Library Staff

The Judges' Library is managed by experienced library professionals dedicated to providing quality information services.

Name	Designation
Smt. Lawaka Kynjing	Chief Librarian
Smt. Shibyllien Kharbudon	Librarian-cum-Research Officer
Smt. Jusaphine L. Nonglait	Library Assistant
Shri Meban S. Kharsyntiew	Library Assistant
Shri Ryansh K. Sangma	Attender