CJI Surya Kant inaugurates Ladakh Bench of J&K and Ladakh High Court

SRINAGAR: In a landmark development for the Union Territory of Ladakh, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the newly constituted Ladakh Bench of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in Leh, describing the occasion as a significant stride towards ensuring that justice reaches even the country's most remote regions.

Stressing that access to justice should not be determined by geography, the Chief Justice said the establishment of the bench reflected the judiciary's commitment to bringing courts closer to the people and strengthening public confidence in the justice delivery system.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Supreme Court judges Justice M.M. Sundresh, Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Arun Palli, besides judges of the High Court. Attorney General for India R. Venkatramani, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh V.K. Saxena, members of the Bar, judicial officers and senior civil and police officials were also present.

With the inauguration, Ladakh will now have a permanent High Court bench functioning within the UT, ending the long-standing dependence of litigants on the existing benches in Srinagar and Jammu for High Court proceedings. The move is expected to substantially reduce the difficulties faced by residents of the high-altitude region, who often had to undertake long and costly journeys to pursue legal remedies.

The bench is scheduled to commence judicial work on October 21. A Division Bench comprising J&K Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar is slated to hear five cases on the opening day. Justice Parihar will subsequently preside over a Single Bench on October 22 and 23. The High Court has already identified 75 cases for listing before the Ladakh Bench during its initial sittings.

The establishment of the bench follows the Union Government's approval in August this year. Subsequently, on October 5, the J&K and Ladakh High Court formally designated Leh as the venue for its sittings in the UT.

Officials said the new arrangement will function as an integral part of the J&K and Ladakh High Court, which continues to serve both Union Territories. While the principal benches at Srinagar and Jammu will remain in operation, the Leh bench is expected to significantly enhance judicial outreach in Ladakh, particularly for litigants residing in remote and geographically challenging areas.

Ladakh became a separate UT in August 2019 following the reorganisation of the erstwhile state of J&K. Since then, demands had grown for a local High Court bench to make judicial services more accessible to residents. The inauguration of the Ladakh Bench is being viewed as a major institutional milestone, bringing the higher judiciary closer to the people and reinforcing the promise of timely and effective access to justice in the region.