LEH, Oct. 19 -- Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Sunday inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at Melongthang in Leh, marking a significant step towards improving access to justice for residents of the Union Territory, particularly those living in remote and far-flung areas.

The establishment of the Bench is expected to reduce the time, expense and hardship faced by litigants who previously had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu for judicial proceedings. The Bench will function as a fully information technology-enabled, paperless court equipped with modern digital infrastructure.

The inauguration was attended by Supreme Court judges Justice M. M. Sundresh and Justice P. S. Narasimha, along...