At 11,500 Feet, Ladakh High Court Bench Begins Regular Hearings In Leh

In a historic milestone for the Indian judiciary, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar on Wednesday presided over the first regular division bench at Leh.

The newly established Ladakh Bench of the high court, located at a breath-taking height of over 11,500 feet above sea level, began regular hearing of the cases from Wednesday, an official said.

He said the day began with the hearing by the division bench in which the chief justice heard the matters through virtual mode while Justice Sanjay Parihar was present physically at the Ladakh Bench.

After the conclusion of the hearing of five listed Division Bench matters, Justice Parihar dealt with as many as 60 matters listed before the single bench, the official said. He said the Wednesday's proceedings made use of technology to facilitate a sort of hybrid hearing with the chief justice hearing through virtual mode and Justice Parihar doing physical hearing.

Justice Parihar said the identification of the 65 cases that were listed for Wednesday reflects the initial effort to organise and facilitate the hearing of matters concerning litigants from Ladakh.

He said the successful commencement of regular judicial hearings on Wednesday by the chief justice in such a high-altitude location is a landmark achievement in the country's judicial infrastructure and commitment to ensuring that geographical barriers do not become obstacles to justice.

The establishment of the Ladakh Bench is a significant step in strengthening the reach of constitutional institutions to remote and geographically challenging regions of the country, he said.

Earlier, litigants from Leh, Kargil and other far-flung areas of Ladakh had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu for proceedings before the high court.

The commencement of hearings here is also encouraging for the legal fraternity of Ladakh including advocates.

The Ladakh Bench of the high court was formally inaugurated by the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, on October 18.

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