Srinagar, Oct. 19 -- 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. 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 Ladakh bench will function as a fully IT-enabled, paperless court, a spokesperson said. The CJI said lawyers from Leh and Kargil would soon be able to virtually access the Supreme Court from the Ladakh bench. "All matters originating from Ladakh would be listed on a single day and heard through video-conferencing, sparing lawyers and litigants the time, cost and hardship of travelling to Delhi," he said. The CJI said the insertion of the name 'Ladakh' in a high court after it became a UT was an important step, but the gesture remained largely symbolic. "A name on a court's letterhead is not the same as a court at one's doorstep."HTC...