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Indian government proposes new legislative body for Ladakh

Proposal for Chapter K under Article 371 aims to address demands for constitutional safeguards in the Union Territory

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The Indian government has proposed creating an elected legislative body for Ladakh under a new Article 371 provision.
Civil society leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of a formal draft and the slow pace of negotiations regarding constitutional safeguards.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Ladakh lost its special status under Article 370 in 2019 and was reorganized as a Union Territory directly governed by New Delhi. Local groups have since campaigned for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.

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The Indian government has proposed a new Chapter K under Article 371 of the Constitution that will allow the formation of an elected body for the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.

The proposal came in a meeting in Delhi with a delegation of Ladakh's civil society members.

The UT-level body will have legislative power over subjects relating to environment, land, culture, language and other subject matters reserved for the UT under Article 240, civil society members said in a statement, according to a report by Indian newspaper The Hindu.

However, Ladakh's civil society members said they "are not happy" with the meeting's proceedings, as the government repeated what was discussed in the last meeting held on May 22.

"We have not got a draft of the proposal yet," Leh Apex Body (LAB) co-chairman, Chering Dorje Lakruk, who attended the latest meeting in Delhi told DW, adding that the government has promised a draft in the next meeting, which is likely to be held by the second week of October.

While expressing his disappointment over the prolonged delay, Lakruk said, "The government is buying time."

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two main political groups in Ladakh, have held several rounds of talks with the government since 2019 — when Ladakh lost its special status under Article 370 and was turned into a Union Territory, which means that unlike earlier, it is now directly governed by the Indian central government in New Delhi.

Ladakh's special status gauranteed it constitutional safeguards to preserve its unique identity, land, jobs, and environment.

Since 2019,the LAB and KDA have been demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.

Inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution will safeguard tribal lands, local employment, and the fragile Himalayan ecology from outside conglomerates.

The groups had called for a protest march on September 10, following which the government called a meeting in Delhi on September 10.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

Government to present a draft proposal in the next meeting.
Likely · Within weeks

Open Questions

What are the specific details of the proposed Chapter K draft?
Will the government meet the October deadline for presenting the draft?

Indian government proposes new legislative body for Ladakh

Proposal for Chapter K under Article 371 aims to address demands for constitutional safeguards in the Union Territory

Quick Look

The Indian government has proposed creating an elected legislative body for Ladakh under a new Article 371 provision.
Civil society leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of a formal draft and the slow pace of negotiations regarding constitutional safeguards.