Centre, Ladakh groups seal deal on elected UT body, Article 371 safeguards

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and representatives of Ladakh’s apex civil society groups on Friday formally signed the minutes of their May 22 meeting, unanimously agreeing to establish a Union Territory-level elected body with executive, legislative and financial powers along with constitutional safeguards under Article 371.

The consensus emerged after the MHA and Ladakh’s civil society groups signed the minutes of the May 22 High-Powered Committee meeting at the Leh Secretariat, ending weeks of disagreement over changes in the draft minutes that had sparked protests and a shutdown in Leh and Kargil last month. The minutes were signed by leaders of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). These organisations had earlier accused the Centre of altering the previously agreed minutes particularly pertaining to Ladakh’s elected body’s control over the bureaucracy.

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Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, in a post on X, said, “Today’s meeting in Leh with political leaders of LAB and KDA along with senior officers of MHA was held in a positive and constructive spirit. It ended on a note of optimism, with a consensus on the broad framework as agreed in the last meeting of 22nd May in New Delhi.”
“We discussed and unanimously finalized the May 22 minutes of the meeting. We deliberated on all issues cordially. It was a fruitful meeting. The MHA will come up with the final draft on the UT elected body’s framework,” said Co-chairman of the Kargil Development Alliance (KDA) Sajjad Kargili.

He said LBA and KDA will also submit a draft outlining the framework for the elected body to the MHA.
The signed minutes of the meeting released by Kargili following the meeting said that the MHA committee gave a presentation showing the probable structure of self-governance in Ladakh with an elected body vested with executive, legislative and financial powers.
“It was unanimously decided that while statehood would remain the long-term aspiration of Ladakh, in the present situation, as a first step, an appropriate customised model of governance by establishing a UT-level elected body with executive, financial and legislative powers would be established,” it said.

The MHA and Ladakh leaders “agreed” the UT-level elected body will exercise control and supervision, including APR of bureaucracy.
“Further details will be finalised in future meetings as per the Transaction of Business Rules,” said the draft.