Leh, Oct. 20 -- Retired Chief Justice Raftan welcomed the establishment of a High Court bench in Ladakh, calling it a significant achievement that would make justice more accessible to people in the region, who earlier had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu to pursue legal cases.

"First of all, I'd like to send my very best wishes to all the people of Ladakh, the entire region. The people of Ladakh have had this demand for many years," he said, talking to ANI on Sunday.

Explaining the need for the bench, he said people from Ladakh had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu to appeal before the High Court or file constitutional writ petitions, making legal proceedings expensive and difficult to pursue.

"It's really necessary because anyone from Lad...