Supreme Court upholds reorganisation of Ladakh as Union Territory

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the reorganisation of Ladakh as Union Territory. "We uphold validity of decision to carve Union Territory of Ladakh out of Jammu and Kashmir," said Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

The Supreme Court's Constitution bench on Monday upheld the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution while announcing its judgment on a series of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the division of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.

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The top court directed the Election Commission to hold elections in Kashmir by 30 Sept 2024.

Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated in October 2019 into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- in accordance with the Indian government's August 5 announcement revoking the state's special status under Article 370.

A brief history of the concept of UTs:

The concept of a ‘Union Territory’ is unique to India. First introduced in the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, the term refers to those territories that were too small to be independent or too significantly different (economically, culturally or geographically) to be merged with the states that surrounded them. These territories were to be administered directly by the Centre.

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The State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was inspired by the “major and minor provinces” that existed at the “close of the 18th century”.

These were managed by governors and chief commissioners and the central government respectively.

Initially, the Constitution recognised four different categories of territories in Schedule 1: Former British India provinces (Part A), princely states (Part B), chief commissioner provinces (Part C) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (part D). When the states were reorganised, Part D became the basis for Union Territories.