Centre Proposes Unique Governance Model for Ladakh Under Article 371
Ladakh will get a sui generis governance model with legislative powers under Article 371, requiring a constitutional amendment and parliamentary consensus, the UT administration said.
The Union Territory of Ladakh is set to receive a governance framework unlike any other in the country, with the administration confirming that the arrangement will be neither full statehood nor a Union Territory with a legislature. Instead, a special constitutional amendment under Article 371 will be crafted to create a legislative body with executive, legislative and financial powers.
Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said the agreement reached with local leadership envisages a "sui generis" model that does not currently exist anywhere in India. The nomenclature of the new body is yet to be finalised, and discussions on its exact shape are ongoing.
The proposal marks a shift from the long-standing demand for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which governs tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Kundra explained that the Sixth Schedule is a construct largely suited to the North East, where minority tribes within a state require protection from a majority, leading to the creation of district councils. He said the limitations of that model were explained to the sub-committee, and the central government is willing to offer something broader through Article 371.
Embedding safeguards in Article 371 would give them constitutional permanence, Kundra said. The framework will require a constitutional amendment rather than ordinary legislation, meaning a two-thirds majority in Parliament and political consensus across parties. A detailed regulation would follow to implement the decision.
Legal drafting will proceed only after both sides agree on basic principles. The administration has shared a set of questions with the leadership to build consensus on the way forward.
The development follows a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday between representatives of the Kargil Democratic Alliance and the Leh Apex Body and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The two groups, part of a sub-committee negotiating with the Centre, said they were not satisfied with the talks, having expected a draft proposal from the government. The Centre has offered the addition of Article 371(K) to extend additional protections to Ladakh.
Kundra said the government and the Ladakh administration are making every effort to address the aspirations of the people, and that protections sought for land, jobs, mineral resources, culture and the environment will be constitutionally secured. He added that the leadership also bears responsibility for fostering a positive atmosphere as the process moves forward. The sub-committee is scheduled to meet again in October.