Ladakh Talks Stall: Civil Society Groups Demand a UT With Legislature as Centre Proposes a Council-Type Body
Ladakh's two main civil society groups, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has moved away from earlier understandings on political autonomy and constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.
Both groups sit on a High-Powered Committee (HPC) set up by the MHA in 2023 to discuss safeguards for Ladakh. Ladakh became a UT without a legislature in 2019, when the former state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised.
At a 22 May 2026 sub-committee meeting, both sides had reached an understanding on a "sui generis" (one-of-a-kind) model for Ladakh with safeguards under Article 371 of the Constitution, similar to those for Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram.
The MHA later circulated a 32-page presentation on a proposed framework. Advisers to LAB and KDA said it offers a council-type body that is weaker than the existing Hill Councils. Earlier in October, Ladakh's Chief Secretary said that neither statehood nor a UT with legislature was on the agenda.
The groups now say they will accept nothing less than a UT with a legislature plus Article 371 safeguards, and keep statehood as a long-term goal. They pointed to Arunachal Pradesh, a sensitive border area that became a state in 1987.
A meeting expected in Delhi on 22 October 2026, after the last round in Leh on 15 October, did not take place.
Constitutional Framework for Union Territories (Part VIII, Articles 239–241)
A Union Territory (UT) is an area of India that the Central Government governs directly, instead of through its own state government. The President runs each UT through an Administrator, called the Lieutenant Governor (LG) in some UTs. The rules are in Part VIII of the Constitution (Articles 239 to 241). Some UTs have an elected legislature and a council of ministers, but most, including Ladakh, do not.
Ladakh's groups want the step from an Article 240 UT (run by the LG and regulations) to a UT with an elected legislature. Critics of the present set-up point out that regulations under Article 240 can be changed by the Centre at any time, which is why the groups also want safeguards written into the Constitution.
Article 371: Special Provisions for Certain States
Article 371 and its sister articles, 371A to 371J, are special rules in the Constitution for particular states or regions. They give these places extra protection or special arrangements, such as protecting tribal customs and land, or setting up development boards for backward regions. Each was added by a constitutional amendment under Article 368. The current proposal is to create a similar provision, sometimes called a possible Article 371K, for Ladakh.
Both sides agree Ladakh needs Article 371-style protection for land, jobs and culture. The dispute is about the body that will use those powers: the groups want an elected legislature, while the Centre's draft offers a council-type body.
Sixth Schedule: Autonomous District Councils
The Sixth Schedule is a part of the Constitution that gives self-rule to tribal areas in four north-eastern states: Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. It creates Autonomous District Councils (ADCs), elected local bodies that can make laws on land, forests, customs, marriage and inheritance. It works through Articles 244(2) and 275(1). Ladakh's groups have long asked for Ladakh to be included in it.
The demand has shifted from the Sixth Schedule towards a sui generis model under Article 371. The groups argue that the Centre's new proposal is weaker even than the Hill Councils that already exist, let alone Sixth Schedule-style councils.
- Ladakh became a UT without legislature on 31 October 2019 (J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019)
- MHA High-Powered Committee on Ladakh: set up in 2023; includes LAB and KDA
- Understanding on a sui generis model under Article 371: sub-committee meeting of 22 May 2026; minutes signed 3 July 2026
- MHA's proposal: a 32-page presentation on a constitutional framework
- Last meeting: 15 October 2026, Leh; expected meeting on 22 October 2026 in Delhi did not happen
- Article 239A (UT legislature): 14th Amendment, 1962; Article 239AA (Delhi): 69th Amendment, 1991; Article 240: President's regulations for UTs
- June 2025 Ladakh regulations: 15-year domicile, one-third women's seats in Hill Councils, 5 official languages
- LAHDC Leh 1995, LAHDC Kargil 2003; 30 seats each (26 elected + 4 nominated)
- Article 371A (Nagaland, 1962), 371F (Sikkim, 1975), 371G (Mizoram, 1986), 371H (Arunachal, 1986)
- Arunachal Pradesh statehood: 20 February 1987
- Sixth Schedule: 4 states, 10 ADCs; NCST recommended Ladakh's inclusion in 2019