Leh: President Droupadi Murmu has issued a regulation that establishes a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the Union Territory of Ladakh, paving the way for bringing higher judicial services closer to the people of the region.
The regulation, titled ‘The Union Territory of Ladakh (Sitting of the Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Ladakh) Regulation, 2026,’ was promulgated by President Murmu on August 27 and published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary on the same day.
Issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice, the regulation seeks to establish a high court bench in Ladakh and address related matters, fulfilling a long-standing demand from the people of Ladakh for improved access to higher judicial remedies in the geographically remote area.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena welcomed the promulgation, stating that the notification was issued within seven days of the Union Cabinet’s decision. He emphasised that this quick action demonstrates the Centre’s commitment to addressing the aspirations of the people of Ladakh.
On August 20, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to enable sittings of a high court bench in Ladakh, aiming to make justice more accessible, especially for residents of remote and far-flung areas.
Saxena expressed gratitude to the prime minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the “historic step” towards bringing the high court closer to the people of Ladakh.
“For a geographically challenging region like Ladakh, access to justice cannot be separated from physical accessibility. This decision will substantially ease the difficulties faced by our people in accessing higher judicial remedies and will strengthen their faith in our justice delivery system,” the lieutenant governor said.
Having high court sittings within Ladakh is expected to decrease the time and expenses incurred by litigants who currently have to travel outside the Union Territory for high court proceedings.
The move will also make the justice delivery system more accessible to ordinary citizens, litigants, advocates and other stakeholders, while facilitating access to constitutional and legal remedies closer to their homes.
Saxena stated that the measure would ensure “easier, faster and more accessible access to justice” for the people of Ladakh.
According to the regulation, the principal seat of the common High Court will continue to be at the same place where the principal seat of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh was located before the commencement of the regulation.
However, the judges and divisions of the High Court may also hold sittings in other locations within the Union Territory of Ladakh as designated by the Chief Justice, with the approval of the lieutenant governor of Ladakh.
The regulation further provides that the chief justice may, in his discretion, order that any case or class of cases arising in the Union Territory of Ladakh be heard at Srinagar or Jammu, as the case may be.
The regulation extends to the whole of the Union Territory of Ladakh and will come into force on a date to be appointed by the Administrator by notification in the Official Gazette.
The promulgation comes within a week of the Union Cabinet’s decision on August 20 to enable sittings of a High Court bench in Ladakh.
