Mr. Sonam Topgyal was born in Kham Dagyab in 1941 and fled to India in 1959. He studied at the Central University for Tibetan Studies in Sarnath and Banaras Hindu University before joining the Central Tibetan Administration in 1963. He held various positions, including deputy secretary of the Department of Information and secretary of the Cabinet secretariat. In 1993, he delivered a letter from the Dalai Lama to Chinese leaders. He served as the Kalön for the Department of Home and served as the Kalön of Health from 1^st September 1993 to 1^st July 1994. He was also the Kalön Tripa from 1995 to 1996.

Mr. Topgyal was a founding member of the Tibetan Youth Congress and worked at the Tibetan Cultural Preservation Centre at Norbulingka Institute. He served in the 10^th and 11^th Kashag, holding positions such as Kalön for Home, Religion/Culture and Health. He passed away in 2013 and is survived by his wife and three daughters.