Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The newly established Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh began its first regular hearings in Leh on Wednesday, marking a significant step towards improving access to justice for residents of the Union Territory.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar was scheduled to take up five cases on the opening day, according to the High Court’s published notifications and cause lists. The High Court has identified a total of 75 cases for initial listing before the Ladakh Bench.
The Bench was formally inaugurated by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant at Melongthang in Leh on October 18. Its establishment brings High Court proceedings closer to litigants in Ladakh, who previously had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu to pursue matters before the court.
The new Bench functions as part of the existing High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, which exercises jurisdiction over both Union Territories. It is not a separate High Court. It is expected to function initially through sittings by judges on a rotational basis, with hearings scheduled twice a week.
The start of regular hearings is expected to reduce the time, travel expense and logistical difficulties faced by litigants and lawyers from Leh and Kargil, particularly given the region’s difficult terrain and harsh winter conditions. For residents of Ladakh, a journey to Srinagar or Jammu for a court date has often meant long road travel or costly flights, and in winter the passes can close, making access even harder.
At the inauguration, Justice Surya Kant also announced an arrangement to facilitate the hearing of cases originating from Ladakh that are pending before the Supreme Court, by grouping them for listing on a single day. The proposed arrangement is intended to reduce repeated journeys to New Delhi for litigants and advocates from the region.
The functioning of the Bench is expected to strengthen access to judicial remedies in Ladakh. Its impact, however, will depend on the regularity of sittings, the pace at which cases are disposed of and the practical accessibility of court services to residents across the Union Territory, including those living in remote areas of Kargil and beyond.
For lawyers in Leh and Kargil, the new arrangement also opens the prospect of building a practice closer to home, while litigants can expect to attend hearings without the burden of long travel. The coming weeks will show how smoothly the twice-weekly schedule works in practice and whether the number of cases listed grows beyond the initial 75.
