New Delhi: The Centre has amended the legal terminology, administrative structure and electoral provisions governing the Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Ladakh to align them with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which led to the creation of the Union territory of Ladakh.
Under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Amendment) Regulation, the number of elected seats in each council will be determined by the Ladakh administration, with a minimum of seven and a maximum of 24 seats.
The administration can nominate up to four members from among women and unrepresented communities, subject to the one-sixth limit of the population, the regulation states.
The sitting Lok Sabha MP representing Ladakh will be an ex-officio member of the councils constituted for each district.
Each council will have a term of five years from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless dissolved earlier. The term can be extended if holding elections is considered impracticable.
The regulation also replaces references to state and governor with Union territory of Ladakh and Administrator, respectively.
The regulation establishes that the State Election Commission for the Union territory of Ladakh will have superintendence, direction, and control over council elections and electoral rolls.
Election disputes can be settled by filing election petitions directly before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh within 45 days of result.
It defines the “district” areas under the act to include Leh, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Kargil, Zanskar, and Drass, along with any newly-created districts.
The councils will have the powers of the panchayat at the district level.
They will be deemed to be district-level panchayats for exercising powers and performing functions under the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989.
