Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 20: The Union Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the setting up of a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Ladakh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Thursday.
Shah said the decision will significantly improve access to justice for people living in the remote and geographically challenging areas of Ladakh by reducing the time and effort required to access legal services.
The proposed bench is expected to make it easier for residents to approach the High Court without undertaking lengthy journeys outside the Union Territory for judicial remedies.
Ladakh is a vast mountainous Union Territory, where difficult terrain and long distances can make travelling for court-related matters particularly challenging. The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is currently a common High Court for both Union Territories, with Jammu and Srinagar serving as its principal seats.
The proposed bench in Ladakh will provide greater judicial access within the Union Territory and reduce the need for residents to travel to the existing principal seats for matters requiring High Court intervention.
Ladakh became a Union Territory on Oct 31, 2019, following the reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Following the reorganisation, the existing High Court became the common High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Ladakh does not have a separate High Court.
The proposed bench will therefore strengthen access to the existing High Court rather than create a separate High Court for Ladakh.
In another major decision, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, approved four Railway Ministry projects with a combined estimated cost of around Rs 9,450 crore.
The projects include construction of a fourth railway line between Kharagpur in West Bengal and Bhadrak (Ranital) in Odisha, covering 173 km. A fourth line will also be constructed between Bhadrak and Haridaspur in Odisha, covering 75 km.
The other two projects involve laying third and fourth railway lines between Gummidipundi in Andhra Pradesh and Gudur in Tamil Nadu, covering 90 km, and between Cuttack and Paradeep (Badabandha) in Odisha, covering 72 km.
Together, the four projects will add around 410 km to the Indian Railways network. They are expected to be completed by 2030-31.
The projects are aimed at increasing railway capacity, improving connectivity and facilitating the movement of passengers and freight across the concerned regions.