Ladakh Bench sittings of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will be held at Leh for three days from October 21, with 105 cases already on the list.
Leh: Under a notice dated October 14, 2026, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will hold Ladakh Bench sittings at Leh from October 21 to 23, with cases fixed for hearing from October 19 to 23 [Notice dated October 14, 2026, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh].
Issued on Wednesday, October 14, the notice does not name the Judges who will constitute the Bench, and it gives no date or format for a formal inauguration.
Hearings closer to home
Ladakh is a Union Territory spread over long distances and difficult terrain, and until now its litigants have had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu to reach the High Court. The Court did begin hearing Ladakh cases through video conferencing in February 2023, a facility that was to become a regular feature.
The sittings follow the Union Cabinet’s approval, in August 2026, of a Ladakh Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, a step aimed at bringing higher judicial remedies closer to residents. For lawyers and litigants in Leh and across the Territory, in-person hearings on home ground mark a practical change in access to justice.
The 105-case list
The list annexed to the notice fixes 105 cases for hearing at Leh. They cover civil, criminal, writ, appeal, arbitration and contempt matters, among them disputes involving the Union Territory of Ladakh and its departments, revenue and land issues, criminal proceedings, public works, health, education, insurance and employment.
According to the notice, these cases have been preponed or scheduled for listing before the Ladakh Bench in accordance with the roster.
What the notice leaves out
Nothing is said about the territorial jurisdiction of the Bench or about any transfer of pending Ladakh cases from the principal seats at Srinagar and Jammu. Those details are not stated in the notice.
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The first sitting, limited to three days, will show how the roster, the 105-case list and the Bench’s working arrangements operate before regular sittings are settled.
Notice: Commencement of sittings of the Ladakh Bench, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh
Date of notice: October 14, 2026
Sittings: October 21 to 23, 2026, at Leh (cases listed from October 19 to 23)