Ladakh Groups Disappointed as Centre Fails to Present Draft of Elected Body

Ladakh-based groups expressed disappointment after a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs sub-committee in New Delhi ended without the expected draft for a proposed elected body for the Union Territory. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) had travelled to the capital expecting a document detailing the structure, powers and functioning of the proposed UT-level body.

Climate activist and LAB member Sonam Wangchuk said there had been little progress since the previous meeting on May 22. According to him, the delegation was instead presented with a set of questions that would be taken up during the next round of discussions.

Wangchuk said the delegation had expected significant progress during the four months since the previous meeting. He said the discussions largely repeated the earlier understanding that the proposed body would have an elected assembly, direct delimitation and elections, but no fresh details were placed before the groups.

KDA representative Sajjad Kargili also said the delegation had arrived with the expectation that a draft for establishing the elected UT-level body would be ready. He said there was already broad agreement on the need for such a body and that the groups had hoped the latest discussions would move beyond the earlier understanding.

According to Kargili, the meeting reaffirmed that the proposed UT-level institution would be elected, with separate delimitation and constituencies. The groups were also assured that constitutional safeguards would cover issues such as land, mining, identity, culture and languages.

However, Kargili said the groups would consider these assurances meaningful only after receiving the actual draft and examining whether the proposed safeguards had been incorporated into the document.

The meeting also touched on compensation for people who were killed or injured during the violence in Leh on September 24, 2025. Wangchuk said the Centre had indicated that compensation would be provided and that an announcement was expected soon.

The issue of cases registered in connection with last year's violence also remained unresolved. Wangchuk said the delegation rejected the idea of withdrawing the cases in phases and instead demanded that all cases be withdrawn together. The government, he said, had indicated that it would consider the demand but had not agreed to it.

The Ladakh groups also called for legislation to establish the proposed democratic body and urged the Centre to introduce a bill in Parliament at the earliest opportunity, potentially during the Winter Session.

Wangchuk said the LAB and KDA had formally conveyed that they would oppose major decisions that could change the existing "shape and form" of Ladakh before the elected body was established. The groups raised the issue after the MHA sub-committee indicated that some such matters were outside its mandate.

Wangchuk also warned that the groups could restart their agitation if major decisions were taken before an elected UT-level institution was created. He said they hoped such a situation would not arise but maintained that renewed protests remained an option.

The LAB and KDA said there was also insufficient clarity regarding the distribution of powers under the proposed governance framework, particularly over areas such as law and order. They argued that clear allocation of authority would be necessary for the elected institution to function effectively.

The groups further urged the Centre not to make major irreversible changes to Ladakh's governance arrangements or permit land transfers before the proposed elected UT-level body is constituted.

Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, however, described the meeting in more positive terms. He said discussions covered the broad contours of a sui generis governance model under Article 371 of the Constitution, with strengthening democracy identified as the objective.

The next round of talks is expected to take place in Kargil during the first week of October, according to Wangchuk.

The LAB and KDA have been engaged with the Centre since 2021 over Ladakh's political and constitutional demands. Their key demands include an elected legislative body at the Union Territory level and safeguards for land, employment, culture and identity.

Ladakh became a Union Territory without a legislature in 2019. The May 22 discussions had resulted in an in-principle understanding on creating an elected UT-level body and developing a customised safeguards framework under Article 371. The minutes of those discussions were subsequently revised to include provisions concerning the elected body's control and supervision over officials dealing with subjects under its jurisdiction.