Leh, March 14: The first National Lok Adalat of 2026 was virtually inaugurated by Justice Sindhu Sharma, Judge of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and Executive Chairman of the Ladakh Legal Services Authority, at the District Court Complex in Leh on Saturday.
On the occasion, the annual calendar of the Ladakh Legal Services Authority (LLSA) was also e-launched. The programme was organised by the District Legal Services Authority Leh, which conducted the Lok Adalat at the District Court Complex Leh as well as at Munsif Courts in Nubra and Khaltsi.
A total of six benches were constituted to hear various cases. Bench No. 1 comprised Spalzes Angmo, Principal District and Sessions Judge Leh, along with Advocate Gonbo Stobgyal. Bench No. 2 included Chief Judicial Magistrate Leh Phuntsog Angmo and Advocate Mohammad Ramzan. Bench No. 3 consisted of Special Mobile Magistrate Leh Wangail Tsering and Advocate Phuntsog Stogyal.
Bench No. 4 was headed by the Assistant Commissioner Revenue Leh and Tehsildar Leh, while Bench No. 5 at Khaltsi was presided over by Munsiff Deldan Angmo. Bench No. 6 at Nubra included Advocate Zulikha Bano.
Addressing the gathering, Justice Sindhu Sharma said the people of Ladakh have long been known for their spirit of harmony and mutual respect. She noted that the relatively low number of court cases in the region reflects a strong tradition of resolving disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding rather than prolonged litigation.
However, she observed that with ongoing development in the region, litigation is likely to increase, and therefore litigants should increasingly adopt Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms such as Lok Adalats.
During the Lok Adalat, cases related to bank recovery, matrimonial disputes, criminal compoundable offences, civil matters and labour disputes were taken up for settlement.
A total of 364 cases were listed, out of which 220 cases were successfully disposed of through mutual settlement. The total settlement amount reached ₹73,99,710.
