Ladakh, August 28, 2026: President Droupadi Murmu has promulgated a regulation allowing a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to hold sittings in Ladakh, a move aimed at improving access to justice in the Union Territory.
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 Aug 27 under Article 240 of the Constitution, read with Section 58(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The regulation creates a statutory framework for the common High Court to hold proceedings in Ladakh, reducing the need for litigants to travel outside the Union Territory for hearings.
Chief Justice To Designate Place For Sittings
Under the new framework, Judges and Division Courts of the High Court may sit at a place in Ladakh designated by the Chief Justice, subject to approval by the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
The move is expected to ease difficulties faced by litigants who currently have to travel outside Ladakh for proceedings before the High Court.
The regulation does not change the existing principal seat of the High Court. It also empowers the Chief Justice to direct that any case or category of cases arising in Ladakh be heard at Srinagar or Jammu instead.
Regulation Issued Under Article 240
The constitutional route used for the move is significant. Article 240 empowers the President to make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of specified Union Territories. In Ladakh's case, the provision operates alongside the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
Legal experts have noted that a regulation under Article 240 differs from a presidential ordinance issued under Article 123. Unlike an ordinance, the exercise of power under Article 240 does not depend on Parliament being in recess.
There is therefore no requirement for Parliament to be prorogued before such a regulation is promulgated.
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Measure To Take Effect After Gazette Notification
The regulation will not come into force immediately. It will take effect on a date to be notified by the Administrator of Ladakh in the Official Gazette.
The move marks an institutional step towards making the High Court more accessible to people across Ladakh by bringing judicial proceedings closer to litigants in the Union Territory.
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