Lawyers in Kargil have suspended judicial proceedings across the district to press their demand for a dedicated circuit bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, pointing to the region’s heavy caseload and difficult geographic terrain.
The work boycott, organized by the Kargil Bar Association, is scheduled to run through September 24, after which the association plans to assess its agitation. The protest was triggered by reports indicating that a High Court bench is slated to be established in Leh.
Call for Administrative Intervention
Kargil Bar Association President Riyaz Ahmed Khan urged the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh and the Chief Justice of the High Court to step in, cautioning the Union Territory administration to take the lawyers’ protest seriously.
Khan noted that the association’s call has garnered broad community backing. He also clarified that while the Kargil legal fraternity raises no objection to establishing a bench in Leh, equity requires that a circuit bench also operate out of Kargil to serve local litigants and legal professionals.
Geographical and Legal Considerations
Outlining the rationale for the demand, the Bar Association emphasized that Ladakh’s vast distances and scattered settlements create severe barriers to judicial access, especially for residents of outlying areas.
According to the association, the absence of a high court bench locally imposes significant hardships on both litigants and lawyers. The body reiterated its position that any establishment of high court infrastructure in Ladakh must account for Kargil’s case volume and terrain by providing a regularly functioning circuit facility in the district.
