Bar Association Kargil Suspends Judicial Work for Six Days Over Leh Firing That Killed Civilians

On September 24, 2025, Leh witnessed a major outbreak of protests demanding constitutional safeguards and statehood for Ladakh. The demonstrations were triggered after the prolonged hunger strike of environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk and other activists calling for Sixth Schedule status and special protections for Ladakh’s land, jobs, and culture.

As the protests gained momentum, a violent turn of events occurred in Leh when agitators clashed with police and security forces.

Some protestors allegedly set fire to political party offices, including that of the BJP, and damaged police vehicles. Security personnel responded with lathi charges, tear gas shelling, and subsequently opened fire. The firing resulted in the death of four civilians, among them former army serviceman and social worker Tsewang Tharchin, and left many injured, including police officials.

In the immediate aftermath, the Union Territory Administration of Ladakh imposed curfew restrictions across parts of Leh, suspended mobile internet services, and announced a magisterial inquiry by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate with directions to submit a report within four weeks.

Several social and political organisations, including the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, rejected this move and reiterated their demand for a judicial inquiry monitored by the High Court, arguing that only an independent probe could ensure accountability for the loss of civilian lives.

On October 1, 2025, the Bar Association of Kargil formally issued a solidarity message expressing its deepest condolences to the victims and solidarity with the people of Ladakh. In its statement, the Association recorded that it would suspend all judicial work in Kargil district from October 1, 2025 to October 6, 2025 as a mark of respect and as a protest against the killings.

The decision was taken unanimously, and the Association informed the Principal District Judge, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Kargil, and the Judicial Magistrates of Sankoo and Drass, along with the Senior Prosecuting Officer, of the resolution.

The Association also made its position clear that it would provide free legal assistance to any victim of the incident in Leh.

The Association further called upon the Union Territory Administration to ensure a free, fair, and impartial judicial inquiry into the matter. The demand is premised on the long-standing principle that state action resulting in the deprivation of life must withstand the closest judicial scrutiny under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

The Association's statement underscored that only a judicial probe, insulated from executive influence, could inspire public confidence and secure accountability in accordance with the rule of law.

The suspension of judicial work by the Bar Association, although temporary, has significant implications for the functioning of courts in Kargil.

Such collective abstention from court practice has historically been a form of protest adopted by bar bodies across India, most often in response to incidents of violence, executive inaction, or threats to the independence of the judiciary.

While the professional duties of advocates and the rights of litigants remain central, the action by the Bar Association Kargil is a symbolic assertion of solidarity with the victims and an institutional demand for judicial accountability in the Union Territory.

The killings of September 24, have emerged as a flashpoint in Ladakh’s ongoing struggle for statehood and constitutional protection. Since the region’s separation from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and its reorganisation as a Union Territory without a legislature, political groups and civil society in both Leh and Kargil have voiced apprehensions over the absence of democratic representation and safeguards for local identity and resources.

The protest movement leading up to the Leh firing had been intensifying since early September, with Wangchuk’s indefinite fast and the subsequent hospitalisation of two hunger strikers acting as catalysts for larger public mobilisation.

The police firing and resulting civilian casualties have now deepened the crisis, drawing sharp reactions from across the political spectrum and intensifying calls for immediate central intervention.

The legal framework governing inquiries into such incidents distinguishes between magisterial inquiries, which are executive in nature and conducted under the supervision of district magistrates or their delegates, and judicial inquiries, which are conducted by a sitting or retired judge with powers of compulsion, independence, and accountability to the judiciary.

By suspending judicial work for six days, the Bar Association Kargil has transformed its institutional position into a collective protest that merges professional solidarity with civic accountability.