CHIEF Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here. Ladakh Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena called the day a landmark milestone, fulfilling a long-standing demand for a court closer to home. “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. He said the Ladakh Bench of the High Court and the CJI’s successive visits to the Union Territory within six months reflect his commitment to ensuring “access to justice” to all, particularly to remote communities in Ladakh.

 

“My sincere thanks and gratitude to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home Minister, Amit Shah, for consistently guiding Ladakh on the path of prosperity and inclusive development,” he said. Justice Surya Kant inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court at the High Court Complex, Melangthong, Leh. Supreme Court Justices M M Sundresh, P S Narasimha, N Kotiswar Singh and Arun Palli, along with Attorney General for India R Venkataramani, Chief Justice of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati, and companion Judges of the high court attended the function, officials said. The inauguration has been hailed as an important occasion in Ladakh’s institutional development.