CJI inaugurates Ladakh Bench, announces virtual access to SC

The new bench will function as a paperless court, with e-filing and digital records to ease access to justice for residents of the region

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the newly established Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at Melongthang, Leh.

Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant speaks during the inauguration of Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, in Leh, Sunday. (PTI)

Justice Kant was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour, following which he unveiled the inauguration plaque. The formal proceedings commenced with the National Song and National Anthem, followed by a welcome address by justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati, chief justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

In his address, the CJI said the establishment of a constitutional court in one of the highest-altitude regions of the world marked a historic milestone in bringing justice closer to the people, particularly those residing in remote and geographically challenging areas of Ladakh.

A major highlight of the ceremony was the launch of four significant initiatives: a Green Wall, an e-filing portal and document management system (DMS) for the Ladakh Bench and the online recruitment portal of the high court.

The newly established Ladakh Bench will function as a fully IT-enabled, paperless court, an official spokesperson said.

The e-filing portal will enable advocates and litigants, particularly those residing in remote areas, to file cases electronically without having to travel to the court, according to the spokesperson.

The DMS will facilitate digital management of judicial records, while the online recruitment portal will streamline recruitment processes in the high court and district judiciary, ensuring greater transparency, accessibility and efficiency, the spokesperson said.

The CJI also initiated work for the installation of solar power systems at 11 locations, reinforcing the judiciary’s commitment to renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure.

He said lawyers from Leh and Kargil would soon be able to virtually access the Supreme Court from the Ladakh Bench.

“All matters originating from Ladakh would be listed on a single day and heard through video-conferencing, sparing lawyers and litigants the time, cost and hardship of travelling to Delhi, he said.

Describing the inauguration as a historic step, the CJI referred to the establishment of a special court in Leh in 1870, observing that while the institution had passed into history, the geographical challenges that restricted access to justice persisted for generations.

“For close to a century, the high court that served Ladakh sat beyond the Great Himalayas, reachable in winter only by air,” he said.

The CJI said the inclusion of ‘Ladakh’ in the name of the high court after the region became a Union Territory in 2019 was an important step, but the gesture remained largely symbolic.

“A name on a court’s letterhead is not the same as a court at one’s doorstep,” he said. He emphasised that the bench belongs equally to Leh and Kargil – the two districts in the Union Territory, and said its purpose would be served only when people in every corner of Ladakh start to feel a sense of ownership over the institution.

Ladakh lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena called the day a landmark milestone, fulfilling a long-standing demand for a court closer to home.

The establishment of the bench marks a significant step towards bringing justice closer to the people of Ladakh, particularly those residing in remote and far-flung areas, by reducing the hardships, time and expenditure involved in travelling to Srinagar or Jammu for judicial proceedings, Saxena said.

“A new era of accessible justice begins in Ladakh! Deeply grateful to Chief Justice of India, for inaugurating the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, today at Leh, in the gracious presence of Supreme Court Judges and the Chief Justice and other companion Judges of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh,” Saxena said on X after the event.

The CJI stressed the need for legal awareness camps, paralegal volunteers, affordable legal representation, lok adalats and timely compensation for victims of crime. “Access to justice, after all, begins not in the court’s compound, but at the litigant’s door,” he said, expressing confidence that the Ladakh Legal Services Authority and the court’s Legal Services Committee would work together to reach people awaiting justice in remote areas. (With inputs from Agencies)