In a significant legal gathering, the North Zone Regional Conference organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) will be held in Srinagar on July 26 and 27 at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). The two-day event is being hosted in collaboration with the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
This high-level judicial conference will see the participation of 25 senior judges from across the country, including Chief Justice of India Justice B.R. Gavai, who will be visiting the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir for the first time after assuming office as CJI.
Joining the CJI will be six judges of the Supreme Court:
- Justice Surya Kant, Executive Chairman of NALSA
- Justice Vikram Nath, Chairperson, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC)
- Justice P.S. Narasimha
- Justice Rajesh Bindal
- Justice Pankaj Mithal
- Justice N. Kotiswar Singh
Also attending the conference are five Chief Justices of various High Courts:
- Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (Delhi High Court)
- Justice Sheel Nagu (Punjab & Haryana High Court)
- Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia (Himachal Pradesh High Court)
- Justice Arun Bhansali (Uttar Pradesh High Court)
- Justice Guhanathan Narendar (Uttarakhand High Court)
The Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, Justice N. Kotiswar Singh, along with other judges of the High Court, will also be present.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is expected to participate in the conference, further underlining the importance of the event.
Senior legal officers and dignitaries from State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) and High Court Legal Services Committees (HCLSCs) across Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh (both Allahabad and Lucknow Benches) will also attend.
Legal Awareness for Tribal Communities
A major highlight of the conference will be a legal awareness camp aimed at empowering tribal communities. It will be held at the Juvenile Home in Harwan, Srinagar. Twelve government departments will set up stalls offering information and services to promote legal awareness among the local population.
Logistics and Management
The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, has been appointed as the overall Nodal Officer for the event. He will oversee coordination across departments to ensure smooth conduct of the conference.
Registrar General of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, M.K. Sharma, who also serves as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Justice of the High Court, will manage overall coordination for the event.
To facilitate the extensive arrangements, organisers have formed several sub-committees to handle key aspects such as logistics, transport, hospitality, accommodation, food, venue preparation, cultural programmes, IT support, and media coverage.
Security arrangements and event infrastructure have reportedly been fully prepared, marking this as one of the most significant legal events in recent times in the region.
