Justice Comes Closer to the Himalayas: CJI Surya Kant Inaugurates Ladakh Bench in Leh
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
18, October,2026-In a significant step towards bringing the High Court nearer to the people of Ladakh, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the newly constituted Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Leh. The inauguration marks the commencement of a dedicated High Court presence in the Union Territory, with hearings scheduled to begin on October 21.
The occasion was attended by Supreme Court Justices M. M. Sundresh, P. S. Narasimha and Arun Palli, alongside judges of the High Court. Attorney General for India R. Venkatramani and Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena were also present.
The first matters before the Bench are expected to be taken up by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar. The Bench is scheduled to hear five cases on Wednesday. Justice Parihar is also expected to sit singly on Thursday and Friday. In all, the High Court has identified 75 cases for listing before the Leh Bench.
The Union Government approved the establishment of the Ladakh Bench in August. On October 5, the High Court selected Leh as the place where its sittings in the Union Territory would be held. Until now, the Court’s two benches were located in Srinagar and Jammu.
The Ladakh Bench will form part of the existing High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh it is not a separate High Court.
The institution serves both Union Territories, following Ladakh’s creation as a separate Union Territory in 2019 during the reorganisation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
The move is intended to ease the practical burden on litigants seeking access to the High Court. In a region where vast distances can make travel especially challenging, sittings in Leh are expected to bring judicial proceedings closer to the communities they serve.
