SRINAGAR: The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance today submitted a 29-page document to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, outlining their case for Statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh and seeking general amnesty for all those arrested after the September 24 violence in Leh, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. The document was emailed to the ministry following the MHA’s request for a detailed submission after the October 22 Sub-Committee meeting in New Delhi, reports appearing in the media said.
Titled Sixth Schedule Provisions and a Case for Statehood: Draft Framework for Ladakh (A Sui Generis Model for Protected Statehood and Sixth Schedule), the document presents an extensive argument for integrating the proposed State of Ladakh under Article 371 as Article 371-K. It lays out the case for Ladakh’s inclusion under the special provisions of the Constitution, drawing from existing models implemented in other regions, according to The Daily Excelsior, a Jammu newspaper.
Alongside the main draft, the LAB and KDA have submitted The State of Ladakh Act, 2025, which seeks a 30-member Legislative Assembly for the proposed State, reserving 28 seats for the Scheduled Tribe communities of Ladakh. The document also seeks two Lok Sabha seats for the region. It proposes that the High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh should continue as a common institution and recommends replacing the existing Hill Development Councils with Autonomous District Councils for both districts.
LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk told media persons in Leh that the document reflects the two principal demands on which both organisations have consistently engaged the Union Government: grant of Statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule. He said issues relating to reservations in government jobs and domicile certificate conditions have already been resolved by the government.
Lakruk said the organisations have additionally sought general amnesty for all those arrested after the violence in Leh on September 24. Wangchuk has been detained under the National Security Act, while others face charges under various provisions following the unrest, which broke out during a strike called by the LAB’s youth wing demanding early talks with the MHA. Four civilians were killed, and ninety people, including security personnel, were injured in the violence, during which BJP and Hill Council offices and several security vehicles were damaged. Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike at the time, was detained under the NSA, while others were later arrested.
Lakruk said there have been instances in the past where governments have granted amnesty to those who surrendered or cooperated with authorities, and that the LAB and KDA have asked for similar consideration in Ladakh’s case.
After the October 22 Sub Committee meeting, the MHA had said it would require a detailed document before the next round of talks. The LAB and KDA drafted their demands separately and then finalised a joint submission that was emailed to the ministry today.
According to sources, the MHA team handling Ladakh affairs will now study the document, after which the next meeting of either the Sub Committee or the High Powered Committee will be convened in New Delhi. The Sub Committee includes senior officials of the MHA and the Ladakh administration, three representatives each from the LAB and KDA, the Ladakh MP and the Chairperson of the Kargil Hill Development Council. The High Powered Committee is headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and includes six members each from LAB and KDA, the Ladakh MP and the Kargil Hill Council Chairperson, among others.
The last Sub Committee meeting, attended by senior MHA and Ladakh administration officials as well as representatives of the LAB, KDA, the Ladakh MP and the chairpersons of the Leh and Kargil Hill Councils, was held on October 22. Talks had resumed nearly five months after the previous round on May 27.
The MHA had said it would call the next meeting once the detailed document was received and examined. Sources said the schedule for the next round of dialogue will be finalised after the ministry completes its review.
Dialogue between the Centre, LAB and KDA had broken down following the September 24 violence. Both organisations stayed away from the October 6 meeting but agreed to attend the October 22 talks after the MHA ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence, to be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.
