# CJI inaugurates Ladakh Bench of the J&K and Ladakh High Court in Leh

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-19/ladakh-bench-high-court-leh/
Date: 19 October 2026 (2026-10-19)
Source: The Hindu, National
UPSC papers: GS2
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** On 18 October 2026 the Chief Justice of India opened a bench of the common High Court in Leh, so that people of Ladakh can reach the High Court without leaving the Union Territory.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at Melongthang, Leh, on Sunday, 18 October 2026. Supreme Court judges, Attorney General R. Venkataramani, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and High Court Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati attended. Hearings begin on 21 October, with a Division Bench of Chief Justice Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar taking up the first cases. Until now, litigants from Leh and Kargil had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu. The bench sits about 3,500 metres above sea level; the CJI said he had been told no High Court in India has sat higher. An e-filing portal, a document management system and an online recruitment portal were launched, and the bench is designed as a paperless court.

The legal route was unusual. The Union Cabinet approved a bench for Ladakh on 20 August 2026. On 27 August, President Droupadi Murmu promulgated the Union Territory of Ladakh (Sitting of Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in Ladakh) Regulation, 2026 under Article 240 of the Constitution, read with Section 58(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The Regulation does not create a separate High Court or move the principal seat. It lets the Chief Justice choose a place of sitting in Ladakh, with the Lieutenant Governor's approval, and direct that particular cases or categories of cases be heard at Srinagar or Jammu. On 5 October the High Court chose Leh. Ladakh has been a Union Territory without a legislature since 31 October 2019.

In his address the CJI said, "A name on a court's letterhead is not the same as a court at one's doorstep", referring to the insertion of the name Ladakh in the court's name after Ladakh became a Union Territory in 2019. He announced that, once video-conferencing is set up, Ladakh matters in the Supreme Court will be listed on a single day and heard online from the bench. He called legal aid a constitutional promise and urged Lok Adalats, para-legal volunteers and timely compensation for victims. Separate demands by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance for constitutional safeguards remain under discussion with the Centre.

## Prelims facts

- The Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh was inaugurated at Leh on 18 October 2026; hearings begin on 21 October.
- The legal basis is a presidential Regulation of 27 August 2026 under Article 240, read with Section 58(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
- The Regulation creates sittings of the existing common High Court, not a new High Court, and leaves the principal seat unchanged.
- The CJI said Ladakh matters before the Supreme Court will be listed on one day and heard by video-conference from the bench.
- The CJI linked the bench to legal aid, calling it a constitutional promise (Article 39A).

## Quick recall

- **When was the Ladakh Bench of the J&K and Ladakh High Court inaugurated, and by whom?** 18 October 2026, by CJI Surya Kant, at Melongthang, Leh.
- **From which date does the Ladakh Bench hear cases?** 21 October 2026.
- **Under which constitutional article was the Ladakh bench Regulation promulgated?** Article 240, read with Section 58(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
- **On what date did the President promulgate the Ladakh bench Regulation?** 27 August 2026.
- **Who chooses the place of sitting in Ladakh under the Regulation?** The High Court's Chief Justice, subject to approval by the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
- **Which article allows Parliament to establish a common High Court for two or more States and a Union Territory?** Article 231.
- **Which constitutional article provides for equal justice and free legal aid?** Article 39A, a Directive Principle added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
- **When did Ladakh become a Union Territory?** 31 October 2019, under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to the regulation-making power of the President under Article 240 of the Constitution, consider the following statements:
1. A regulation made under it may repeal or amend an Act of Parliament that applies to the Union Territory concerned.
2. It can be exercised only when both Houses of Parliament are not in session.
3. The legal framework for High Court sittings in Ladakh was created through such a regulation in 2026.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only. Statement 1 is correct: an Article 240 regulation has the force of an Act of Parliament and may repeal or amend laws applying to the territory. Statement 2 is incorrect: the condition that Parliament be out of session applies to ordinances under Article 123, not to Article 240 regulations. Statement 3 is correct: the Ladakh bench Regulation was promulgated on 27 August 2026 under Article 240 read with Section 58(2) of the 2019 Act.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Prelims 2020, Prelims: In India, Legal Services Authorities provide free legal services to which of the following type of citizens? 1. Person with an annual income of less than Rs 1,00,000 2. Transgender with an annual income of less than Rs 2,00,000 3. Member of Other Backward Classes (OBC) with an annual income of less than Rs 3,00,000 4. All Senior Citizens. Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 and 4 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1 and 4 only (https://upsc.help/pyq/q289-india-legal-services-authorities-provide-free-legal/)
- UPSC Mains 2026, GS3: Ladakh is strategically located between China and Pakistan. As a measure to win hearts and minds of locals, discuss the Border Area Development Programmes (BADP) by the Central Government and civic actions by the Army. Also discuss demand of promulgation of provision of the Sixth Schedule of constitution for Ladakh. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q052-ladakh-strategically-located-between-china-pakistan-measure/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use the Ladakh Bench as an example of non-military, institutional outreach that brings the state closer to Ladakh's people alongside BADP and Army civic action.
- UPSC Mains 2024, GS2: Explain and distinguish between Lok Adalats and Arbitration Tribunals. Whether they entertain civil as well as criminal cases? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q287-distinguish-between-lok-adalats-arbitration-tribunals-whether/)

## Mains practice question

The opening of a High Court bench in Ladakh shows that access to justice depends on physical and digital proximity as much as on legal rights. Discuss. (150 words)

### Model answer

Access to justice is part of the right to life under Article 21 and a directive under Article 39A. The new Ladakh Bench at Leh, opened on 18 October 2026, shows that rights mean little if the court is out of reach.

## Why proximity matters
- Until now Ladakh's litigants travelled to Srinagar or Jammu; the CJI said the High Court across the Great Himalayas was reachable in winter only by air.
- A presidential Regulation under Article 240 (27 August 2026) allowed sittings in Ladakh without creating a new High Court.

## Digital proximity
- e-Filing portal and paperless court at Leh.
- Ladakh matters in the Supreme Court to be heard by video-conference on a single day.

## Limits
- Uneven connectivity in remote areas.
- Chief Justice can still send cases to Srinagar or Jammu.

## Way forward
- Strengthen legal aid, Lok Adalats and para-legal volunteers.

Courts that come closer, in person and online, turn the promise of justice into practice.

## The basics

## Why this matters

Until 18 October 2026, a litigant in Kargil or Nubra had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu to reach the High Court. For UPSC, the story joins three static ideas: how High Courts are organised for Union Territories, the President's power to make regulations under Article 240: regulations for Union Territories, and the constitutional promise of Free legal aid under Article 39A.

## One High Court, two Union Territories

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 split the former State into two Union Territories from 31 October 2019. The existing High Court, first set up in 1928, continued as a Common High Court for two Union Territories. It sits at Srinagar and Jammu. Ladakh, which has no legislature, had no sitting of its own. The bench does not create a new High Court: it lets judges of the same court sit in Ladakh.

## Why a regulation and not an Act

Ladakh is one of the Union Territories for which the President can legislate directly by regulation. The power comes from Article 240, read with Section 58(2) of the 2019 Act. A regulation has the same force as an Act of Parliament and can amend laws that apply to the territory. Unlike an ordinance, it does not depend on Parliament being out of session.

## Distance, technology and legal aid

The CJI said technology and legal aid are the two remedies for distance.

Wider demands for constitutional safeguards remain under discussion: see Ladakh as a Union Territory without a legislature.

## Sources

- https://www.barandbench.com/news/cji-surya-kant-inaugurates-jk-high-courts-ladakh-bench-in-leh
- https://kashmirobserver.net/2026/10/18/cji-surya-kant-inaugurates-ladakh-bench-of-jk-high-court-in-leh/
- https://theprint.in/india/cji-announces-virtual-access-to-supreme-court-for-leh-kargil-lawyers/3075327/
- https://openthemagazine.com/india/ladakh-to-get-high-court-bench-what-presidents-article-240-regulation-means
- https://www.thestatesman.com/india/what-changes-for-ladakh-after-president-murmus-new-high-court-regulation-1503632103.html
- https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2026/08/21/cabinet-clears-high-court-bench-ladakh/