CJI to visit Ladakh tomorrow to inaugurate Ladakh bench of High Court

SRINAGAR: The Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, will visit Ladakh on Sunday to inaugurate the newly constituted Ladakh bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said at a press conference today.He said the CJI will be accompanied by four Supreme Court judges, the chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, and other high court judges. The attorney general of India will also attend the event, he said.“It is a very big thing. Frankly speaking in recent times, if you scan the history of the High Courts in India, I don't think that in the last 40 years any sitting bench has been set up in this fashion for any other High Court. The only example which comes to my mind is maybe that of the North Eastern States, where the Guwahati High Court, had benches in Arunachal Pradesh, where I have worked,” he said.“Justice coming closer to the people is a very big thing,” the CS said.“Otherwise, anyone who was aggrieved and wanted to file a writ petition would have to go to Srinagar or Jammu. I think the fact that this is now possible here in Ladakh is an extremely positive development,” he added. He said the bench was established within two months and was not among the demands raised during negotiations, describing it as a unilateral initiative by the Centre.Negotiations are currently underway between Ladakhi political leaders and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ladakhi leaders are seeking a Union Territory with a legislature and constitutional safeguards under Article 371.“The Government of India fully understands how difficult this terrain is, the challenging circumstances in which people live here and how crucial it is to ensure that justice is accessible closer to their doorstep,” Kundra said.Stay updated with the latest Srinagar news. Download the TOI App.