Leh, Oct. 23 -- The Ladakh administration has defended cancelling land allotment to Sonam Wangchuk's institute, citing the activist's "disregard for the law", and said the allotment automatically lapsed due to unpaid dues and an unexecuted lease deed.

In an affidavit filed in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the administration maintained that the 40-year lease allotment covering 1,076 kanals and 1 marla of land at Phyang Thang had "lapsed by operation of law" on May 5, 2019, due to the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL)'s failure to execute a lease deed or deposit mandatory land premiums within the stipulated one-year period.

The affidavit running into 136 pages was filed by Leh deputy commissioner and CEO...