Overview
- At a sub‑committee meeting on September 9, 2026 the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed a sui generis Chapter K under Article 371 to create a directly elected Union Territory‑level body for Ladakh with legislative, executive and financial powers.
- Officials said the proposed body would have authority over land, culture, language, forests, environment and natural resources, but law‑and‑order and the exact split of powers with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils remain open questions.
- The Centre has not produced a draft constitutional amendment; it asked Ladakhi leaders to build consensus on about eight to ten technical questions before legal drafting begins and said the change will need a two‑thirds parliamentary amendment followed by regulatory rules.
- Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance described the September 9 meeting as disappointing, warned of renewed protests from September 19–24 if firm assurances are not given, and said a trust deficit exists because no concrete draft was shared.
- The government signalled compensation for victims of the September 24, 2025 Leh violence and offered case withdrawals and reviews, while administrative moves on local recruitment and new Ladakh service cadres continue to raise concern about irreversible decisions before an elected body is constituted.