Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the newly established Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at Melongthang, Leh.
Justice Kant was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour, following which he unveiled the inauguration plaque. The formal proceedings commenced with the National Song and National Anthem, followed by a welcome address by justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati, chief justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. A major highlight of the ceremony was the launch of four significant initiatives: a Green Wall, an e-filing portal and document management system (DMS) for the Ladakh Bench and the online recruitment portal of the high court.
In his address, the CJI said the establishment of a constitutional court in one of the highest-altitude regions of the world marked a historic milestone in bringing justice closer to the people, particularly those residing in remote and geographically challenging areas of Ladakh. The newly established Ladakh Bench will function as a fully IT-enabled, paperless court, an official spokesperson said. The e-filing portal will enable advocates and litigants, particularly those residing in remote areas, to file cases electronically without having to travel to the court, according to the spokesperson. The DMS will facilitate digital management of judicial records, while the online recruitment portal will streamline recruitment processes in the high court and district judiciary, ensuring greater transparency, accessibility and efficiency, the spokesperson said. He said lawyers from Leh and Kargil would soon be able to virtually access the Supreme Court from the Ladakh Bench.
