Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 18: For people in Ladakh, going to the High Court will no longer mean a long, tiring journey to another city. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Leh.
Supreme Court judges M.M. Sundresh and P.S. Narasimha were present, along with Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and other High Court judges. Attorney General for India R. Venkatramani and Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena also attended.
The new bench will work as part of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, which has jurisdiction over both Union Territories.
Hearings will begin on October 21, and 75 cases have been identified so far, the High Court administration said. On the first day, a division bench of Chief Justice Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar will take up five cases. After that, Justice Parihar will sit alone and hear cases on Thursdays and Fridays.
The Centre approved the bench in August, and the High Court named Leh as its seat on October 5.
Calling it the start of “a new era of accessible justice,” Saxena thanked the Chief Justice of India in a post on social media. He said the long-pending demand of the people had finally been met, and that justice would now reach their doorstep without the cost and trouble of travelling far. He also noted that the CJI had visited Ladakh more than once in the last six months, which he said showed a clear commitment to making justice easier and faster, especially for remote communities.
The Lieutenant Governor also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their support and guidance, and congratulated the people of Ladakh.
Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra described the bench as the biggest step for the judiciary in the region in the past 40 years. He said people would no longer have to make the hard trip to Srinagar or Jammu for legal matters, including writ petitions.
Ladakh became a separate Union Territory in 2019, when the former state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised. Until now, the High Court had only two main seats, in Jammu and Srinagar. With a bench in Leh, residents of a region known for difficult terrain and long distances will find court services much nearer home. |
