New Delhi, Aug 28: President Droupadi Murmu has promulgated a regulation paving the way for the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to hold sittings in the Union Territory of Ladakh, in a significant step towards making judicial services more accessible to litigants in the region.
The Union Territory of Ladakh (Sitting of Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in Ladakh) Regulation, 2026 was promulgated on August 27 under Article 240 of the Constitution, read with Section 58(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The regulation provides the legal framework for a bench of the common High Court to sit at a location in Ladakh as may be designated by the Chief Justice with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
The existing principal seat of the High Court will remain unchanged. The Chief Justice will also have the authority to direct that any case or category of cases arising in Ladakh be heard at either Jammu or Srinagar.
The regulation has been issued under the President’s powers under Article 240, which empowers the President to make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of certain Union Territories. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, read with Article 240, provides the constitutional and statutory framework for the measure concerning Ladakh.
Unlike a presidential ordinance issued under Article 123, the exercise of powers under Article 240 does not depend on Parliament being in recess. Therefore, there is no requirement for Parliament to be prorogued before such a regulation is promulgated.
The regulation will, however, come into force from a date to be notified by the Administrator of the Union Territory of Ladakh through the Official Gazette.
