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New Delhi: There is big news for the people of Ladakh. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced that the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to set up a bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court in Ladakh.

Amit Shah said that with this step it will be easier for people living in remote and inaccessible areas of Ladakh to get justice. Currently, people have to travel long distances for High Court work, which consumes both time and money. This problem will end with the construction of a new bench.

Why was a High Court bench necessary in Ladakh?   

Ladakh is a very large and hilly union territory. Here, going from village to city is a big challenge, especially in winter when the roads are closed. People had to go to Jammu or Srinagar to appear in court or get legal help.

At present, there is only one common High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, whose main benches are in Jammu and Srinagar. It is not easy for the common man to reach there from Leh and Kargil. Keeping this in view, the government has decided to create a High Court bench within Ladakh itself.

With this, people will be able to reach the High Court in their own state. The Center has clarified that this is not a separate High Court for Ladakh, but a bench of the existing common High Court will be established in Ladakh. This will strengthen judicial access, without creating a new High Court.

When did Ladakh become a union territory?    

The state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized on 31 October 2019. It was then divided into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. After that the present High Court became the common High Court of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh.

From then till now Ladakh did not have its own separate High Court. People were continuously demanding that they should not have to go out of the UT to get justice. Now with this decision of the cabinet that demand is going to be fulfilled. Experts say that the arrival of benches in Ladakh will not only benefit the common people.

Rather, new opportunities will also open for local lawyers, legal services and court staff. Remote cases like pension, land, service matters will be resolved faster. This step of the Center is being considered a big step towards strengthening the administrative and judicial structure in Ladakh.