How new tehsils, districts for Ladakh address political aspirations? | Explained
Ladakh's administration has rolled out an expanded set of tehsils and operationalised new districts across the Union Territory
Seventeen new tehsils have been created, taking the total tehsil count to five in Leh, seven in Kargil, four in Changthang, six in Nubra, four in Zanskar, five in Sham, and one in Drass
Autonomous Hill Development Councils are being extended to all seven districts of Ladakh, up from the two councils (Leh and Kargil) that existed earlier
The restructuring aims to align every revenue village with a single tehsil and every tehsil with a single district, removing prior jurisdictional overlaps
Ladakh's Constitutional Status — Article 240 and Union Territory Without a Legislature
Ladakh has been administered as a Union Territory without a legislative assembly since 31 October 2019, following its separation from the former state of Jammu and Kashmir under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Governance in such Union Territories operates differently from those with legislatures like Delhi or Puducherry.
Key Details
- Article 240(1) empowers the President to make regulations for the peace, progress, and good government of specified Union Territories, including Ladakh; such regulations can amend or repeal even Acts of Parliament applicable to the territory
- Ladakh is headed by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the President, who exercises executive authority on the Centre's behalf, unlike a Governor in a state who acts on the aid and advice of an elected council of ministers
- Ladakh previously had representation through 4 MLAs in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly; this direct elected representation in a state-level legislature ceased after the 2019 reorganisation
The new tehsils and districts are being created and administered through this Article 240 framework, via executive notification rather than through any elected Ladakh-specific legislature, since Ladakh has none.
Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC) Act, 1997
The LAHDC Act, 1997 established elected hill councils for Leh and Kargil districts, granting them limited legislative and executive powers over local subjects such as land use, agriculture, and local taxation, predating Ladakh's status as a separate Union Territory.
Key Details
- Section 3(1) of the LAHDC Act provides for the constitution of a council in every district through government notification, which is the legal basis being used to extend councils to all seven Ladakh districts
- The Act has previously been amended to reserve one-third of council seats for women in the Leh and Kargil councils, through rotation
- Following the 2019 reorganisation, several of the councils' earlier decision-making powers were seen as diminished, since major policy decisions increasingly route through the Centre and the Lieutenant Governor rather than through elected local bodies
Extending Hill Councils to all seven districts under Section 3(1) of the LAHDC Act is the mechanism through which the Centre is attempting to restore a measure of elected local governance to Ladakh's newly created districts.
The Sixth Schedule Demand — Article 244(2) and 275(1)
Ladakh's civil society groups have long demanded inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which currently applies only to tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, as a more durable constitutional safeguard than administrative measures like new tehsils or districts.
Key Details
- The Sixth Schedule operates under Articles 244(2) and 275(1) of the Constitution, providing for Autonomous District Councils (up to 30 members, mostly elected, some Governor-nominated) with law-making powers over land, forests, water resources, and customary law
- Unlike Article 240 regulations — which the Centre can unilaterally amend or revoke — Sixth Schedule protections are constitutionally entrenched and cannot be altered without a constitutional amendment
- No Union Territory currently has Sixth Schedule status; extending it to Ladakh would be an unprecedented application, since the Schedule was designed for states with tribal autonomous districts
The new tehsils and expanded Hill Councils are administrative and statutory measures under Article 240 and the LAHDC Act, distinct from — and, for demand groups, seen as short of — the constitutionally entrenched protection the Sixth Schedule would provide.
- Ladakh became a Union Territory without a legislature on 31 October 2019, under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019
- Number of Ladakh districts increased from 2 to 7 by Ministry of Home Affairs notification in August 2024; new districts became operational in April 2026
- 17 new tehsils created; district-wise tehsil count: Leh (5), Kargil (7), Changthang (4), Nubra (6), Zanskar (4), Sham (5), Drass (1)
- LAHDC Act, 1997 — Section 3(1) provides for constitution of a council in every district via notification
- Sixth Schedule (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) currently applies only to Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram; no Union Territory currently has Sixth Schedule status
- Ladakh previously held 4 seats in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly before the 2019 reorganisation