Regulation enabling HC bench in Ladakh comes into effect; LG terms it ‘historic step

LEH: The regulation for a permanent bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in Ladakh came into effect on Saturday, with Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena describing its implementation as a “historic step” towards bringing the justice delivery system closer to the people.

The regulation, promulgated by the President of India on August 27, 2026, provided that it shall come into force on such date as the Administrator may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

“The Union Territory of Ladakh (sitting of Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Ladakh) Regulation, 2026, which provides for a Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to sit in the Union Territory of Ladakh, has come into force today (Saturday) onwards,” an official spokesman said.

It will facilitate further action for establishing and operationalising the Bench, including consultation with the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the departments concerned on the required judicial, administrative, infrastructural, financial and logistical arrangements, he said.

The establishment of a High Court Bench in Ladakh is expected to significantly improve access to justice for the people of the Union Territory, particularly litigants from remote and far-flung areas.

At present, people requiring proceedings before the High Court may have to travel outside Ladakh, involving considerable expenditure of time and money. A Bench in Ladakh will bring higher judicial services closer to the people and reduce the difficulties associated with long-distance travel and accommodation.

The Lt Governor said that the move is particularly significant for a geographically vast and challenging Union Territory such as Ladakh, where difficult terrain, long distances and harsh weather conditions can make access to institutions outside the region especially demanding.

 “The Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Ladakh is a historic step towards bringing justice closer to the people. For the people living in our remote and far-flung areas, this will substantially improve access to justice and make the judicial system more accessible to our citizens.

“I express my sincere gratitude to the President of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for strengthening the justice delivery system in Ladakh,” Saxena said.