Reigns of judiciary under single umbrella; two UTs Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will share common High Court

Jammu, September 9: Scrapping Article 370 was one of India’s historic and unprecedented decision opening new avenues by integrating the state in the mainstream. With new growth and development, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will become two separate Union territories from October 31 but will have a common high court.

The State Judicial Academy's Director Rajeev Gupta informed that the two territories will have a common high court. He also said 108 Central Laws would be applicable for the two UTs while 164 state laws would be repealed and 166 state laws will continue to be applicable.

It was on August 5, the Centre nullified Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of the state. Parliament approved the resolution in this regard and also passed the bill on the bifurcation of the state into two UTs. Later, on August 9, President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, bifurcating the two Union Territories, which will come into existence on October 31.

Speaking at a refresher programme, organised by the SJA on topic "Appreciation of evidence with specific reference to Dying Declaration, Accomplice Statement and Confessional Statement for Session Judges of Jammu province, Gupta discussed the effects of J&K Reorganization Act, 2019 on State Laws in Jammu and Kashmir and the pending cases.

He said the legislative Assembly will be formed in J&K as UT but there will be no legislative Assembly in the Union Territory of Ladakh as it will be directly controlled by the Union government.

"There will be a common High Court for the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Existing law and procedure for practice in the high court will remain the same," he said. He also discussed the impact and interplay of repealed acts and repealing acts.