In memorandum to MHA, parties seek statehood, 6th Schedule status for Ladakh

New Delhi, January 23

Representatives from Ladakh submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Ministry, demanding statehood for Ladakh and status under the Sixth Schedule, sources said.

According to sources, representatives from the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance submitted a detailed memorandum, including a draft of a bill for amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019 to provide statehood to Ladakh. The memorandum was submitted to the Home Ministry last week.

This comes as a high-level committee chaired by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai has been holding meetings with representatives from the two bodies representing the two regions of Ladakh – Leh and Kargil. The ministry had sought a list of demands from the two bodies in writing during their last meeting on December 4.

The memorandum observed that the Supreme Court, in its recent judgment, has said that statehood is going to be restored in Jammu and Kashmir, but those provisions are not being extended to Ladakh which will remain a Union territory.

Referring to precedents of states like Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim and other northeastern states in seeking statehood for Ladakh, the memorandum points out that these states are also protected under the Sixth Schedule and Article 371 of the Constitution of India.