SRINAGAR: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the newly constituted Ladakh Bench of the Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in Leh, with hearings scheduled to begin on October 21.
Supreme Court judges MM Sundresh, PS Narasimha and Arun Palli, along with judges of the High Court, attended the inauguration. Attorney General for India R Venkatramani and Ladakh Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena were also present.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar is expected to hear five cases on October 21. Justice Parihar will also preside over a single bench on October 22 and 23.
The High Court has identified 75 cases for listing before the Ladakh Bench.
The Union Government approved the establishment of the bench in August this year. Subsequently, on October 5, the High Court selected Leh as the venue for its sittings in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Before the new bench was constituted, the High Court operated from its existing benches in Srinagar and Jammu. The Ladakh Bench will function as part of the Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, which serves both Union Territories.
Ladakh became a separate Union Territory in 2019 following the reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The establishment of the bench is intended to improve access to High Court services for litigants in Ladakh, where geographical distances can make reaching judicial institutions difficult.
