SRINAGAR: The High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh has refused to revive a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking recruitment to gazetted posts in the Union Territory of Ladakh, holding that the grievances raised by the petitioners have been substantially addressed as the Administration has established the required statutory framework and initiated recruitment through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The order was passed on July 6, 2026, by a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani, according to the order uploaded by the High Court and reported by legal news portal Bar and Bench.
The application for revival had been filed by Gazetted Aspirants, Residents of Ladakh, represented by senior advocate Kachroo Manzoor Ali Khan along with advocate Aga Syed Hadi. The Union Territory of Ladakh was represented by Deputy Solicitor General of India T.M. Shamsi and advocate Rehana Qayoom.
The PIL traces its origin to 2024, when the High Court took suo motu cognisance of a letter addressed to the Chief Justice through social media highlighting that recruitment to gazetted posts in Ladakh had not been conducted for nearly five years after the Union Territory was carved out in 2019.
The court registered WP(C) PIL No. 5/2024 to examine why gazetted posts had remained vacant and why eligible candidates had not been provided recruitment opportunities.
On December 30, 2024, after considering the response of the Ladakh Administration, the High Court disposed of the PIL, noting that the authorities were actively addressing the concerns raised. However, it granted liberty to the petitioners to seek revival if the grievances remained unresolved.
Claiming that the Administration had failed to make adequate progress, the petitioners later moved an application seeking restoration of the PIL.
Before deciding the application, the Bench sought fresh instructions from the Administration.
In a status report dated April 23, 2026, the Ladakh Administration informed the court that the issues raised in the PIL had been “completely redressed.” It stated that the Union Territory had established the necessary statutory and regulatory framework governing gazetted recruitment and had initiated the selection process through the UPSC.
The Administration further submitted that recruitment to gazetted posts was at various stages before the UPSC and that appointments would be made in accordance with law after the Commission submitted its recommendations.
Accepting the submission, the Bench observed that there was no justification for reviving the PIL.
“In view of the aforesaid reply/status report submitted by the respondent, we do not see any good reason or justification to revive the Public Interest Litigation,” the court said.
The court consequently closed the proceedings and disposed of the application, effectively bringing the PIL to an end while leaving the ongoing UPSC recruitment process to continue.
The order is significant for thousands of aspirants in Ladakh awaiting regular recruitment to gazetted services, an issue that has remained contentious since the creation of the Union Territory in August 2019.
