CJI inaugurates ‘highest’ High Court bench in Leh: ‘Crossed passes to reach Ladakh’

CJI Justice Surya Kant, Ladakh L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena, and others during the inauguration of Ladakh Bench of the HC in Leh. (PTI)

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated the Ladakh bench of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in Leh on Sunday. The bench would start functioning from October 21. President of India Droupadi Murmu had on August 28 promulgated a regulation allowing the establishment of a separate High Court bench in Leh.

“The High Court has today crossed the passes to reach Ladakh, instead of asking the people of Ladakh to cross the passes to reach it,” CJI Justice Surya Kant said in his inaugural address. “This High Court bench has reached you through the principle of access to justice to which we are aligned with,” he said.

Officials said initially 75 cases have been identified for listing before the bench, which will initially function on two days a week. The judges will sit in rotation and the inaugural bench on October 21 will comprise Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. (PTI)

The inaugural function was attended by Justice M M Sundresh, Justice P S Narasimha and Justice Arun Palli of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court Pushpendra Singh Bhati, Attorney General for India R Venkataramani and Lt Governor of Ladakh Vinay Kumar Saxena.

The CJI said the 3,500-metre altitude of the Ladakh bench will make it the highest in the country. CJI Kant announced that the Supreme Court would list all the cases from Ladakh on a single day once adequate video conferencing facilities were in place for lawyers appearing before the new bench. He said the arrangement would spare litigants from Ladakh the time and expenses involved in travelling to New Delhi to pursue their cases.

He said he is hopeful that the separate bench will encourage a new generation from Ladakh to take up the legal profession as a career option.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court was named the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court after the abrogation of J&K’s special status and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories in August 2019.

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Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More