Kargil, Dec 3, KNT: Five councillors of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council have approached the Jammu and Kashmir High Court challenging the nomination of a Muslim member to the council by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta.
The petitioners argued that the nomination violates Section 4(2) of the LAHDC Act, 1997, which provides for nomination from the “principal religious minority” or women in the district. They contended that in Kargil district, Buddhists constitute the principal religious minority and not Muslims, who form the majority population.
Join our WhatsApp Group
The petition was filed by LAHDC Chairman Muhammad Jaffer Akhoon and councillors Kacho Muhammad Feroz, Aga Syeed Mujtaba Mussavi, Zakir Hussain and Punchok Tashi.
📢 8,000+ readers already joined for instant Kashmir News Trust updates
Join our Telegram Channel
The Lieutenant Governor had on November 12 nominated advocate Reyaz Ahmed Khan as the fourth nominated member of the council. The petitioners said the nomination cannot be made from the religion that constitutes the majority, citing the 2011 Census which shows Muslims at about 77 percent and Buddhists at around 14 percent in Kargil.
The petition said that the nominated member, Reyaz Ahmed Khan, had unsuccessfully contested the 2023 hill council election “on the ticket of a national political party which is also the party in power at the Union/Centre and thus also being in direct control of the affairs of Union Territory of Ladakh.”
They have sought quashing of the order, asserting that the seat is legally meant for representation of the Buddhist community or women to protect minority interests.
The High Court is yet to fix a date for the hearing in the matter. [KNT]
