UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — High Court Bench for Ladakh approved

Q1. The arrangement under which one and the same High Court serves both the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh flows from which one of the following?

  • A. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which constituted the existing High Court as the common High Court for the two Union Territories
  • B. Article 231 of the Constitution, which requires that every Union Territory must necessarily be placed under a High Court shared with an adjoining State
  • C. A regulation made under Article 240 of the Constitution, which is the sole instrument by which all courts in Ladakh are constituted
  • D. An administrative order of the Supreme Court Collegium, which alone determines the territorial jurisdiction of every High Court in the country

Q2. Under the same statute that created the common High Court for the two Union Territories, how many seats in the House of the People were allotted respectively to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and to the Union Territory of Ladakh?

  • A. Five to Jammu & Kashmir and one to Ladakh
  • B. Six to Jammu & Kashmir and one to Ladakh
  • C. Five to Jammu & Kashmir and two to Ladakh
  • D. Four to Jammu & Kashmir and two to Ladakh

Q3. In the context of the 2026 approval for Ladakh, what does the expression 'a Bench of the High Court' precisely denote?

  • A. An additional place of sitting of the same High Court, where judges of that Court exercise its jurisdiction over the territory assigned to it
  • B. A distinct High Court for the Union Territory, having its own Chief Justice appointed separately under Article 217 of the Constitution
  • C. A permanent circuit sitting of the Supreme Court, constituted to hear appeals arising from the remoter Union Territories
  • D. A specialised division of the district judiciary, empowered to exercise writ jurisdiction in place of the parent High Court

Q4. Proposals for setting up benches of existing High Courts are processed by which one of the following at the Union level?

  • A. The Department of Justice in the Ministry of Law and Justice
  • B. The Department of Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Law and Justice
  • C. The Department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs in the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in the Ministry of Personnel

Q5. Regulations for the peace, progress and good governance of the Union Territory of Ladakh are made by the President under which provision of the Constitution?

  • A. Article 240, which was extended to cover the Union Territory of Ladakh consequent to the reorganisation of 2019
  • B. Article 239A, which provides for the creation of local legislatures or Councils of Ministers for certain Union Territories
  • C. Article 244(2), which governs the administration of the tribal areas notified in the Sixth Schedule
  • D. Article 371, which contains special provisions for particular States relating to development and local administration

Q6. Which one of the following is the apex elected body for development administration within the Leh district of the Union Territory of Ladakh?

  • A. The Autonomous Hill Development Council constituted under a 1997 law of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir
  • B. The Autonomous District Council constituted by the Governor under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution
  • C. The District Development Council constituted under the panchayati raj law applicable to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir
  • D. The Regional Council constituted by the Lieutenant Governor under a regulation dealing with local self-government

Q7. The power to establish, by law, a common High Court for two or more States is conferred on Parliament by which Article of the Constitution?

  • A. Article 231
  • B. Article 230
  • C. Article 241
  • D. Article 214

Q8. Consider the following pairings of High Courts with the territories over which they exercise jurisdiction: 1. Gauhati High Court — Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh 2. Bombay High Court — Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 3. Madras High Court — Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands 4. Punjab and Haryana High Court — Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Gauhati High Court — Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh
  2. Bombay High Court — Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
  3. Madras High Court — Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  4. Punjab and Haryana High Court — Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q9. Consider the following statements comparing the Sixth Schedule framework with the arrangements currently in force in Ladakh: 1. The Sixth Schedule, referable to Articles 244(2) and 275(1), provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. 2. The Hill Councils functioning in Ladakh derive from a 1997 statute of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir rather than from the Sixth Schedule. 3. Unlike Ladakh's Hill Councils, which function in a Union Territory, Sixth Schedule autonomous district councils are constituted only for areas lying within Union Territories. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Sixth Schedule, referable to Articles 244(2) and 275(1), provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
  2. The Hill Councils functioning in Ladakh derive from a 1997 statute of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir rather than from the Sixth Schedule.
  3. Unlike Ladakh's Hill Councils, which function in a Union Territory, Sixth Schedule autonomous district councils are constituted only for areas lying within Union Territories.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. The Union Government's engagement on safeguards for Ladakh's land, culture, language and employment is carried on through a High Powered Committee serviced by which one of the following?

  • A. The Department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs in the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which is alone competent to decide every question concerning Scheduled Tribes in the country
  • C. The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, which exclusively administers all matters arising under the Sixth Schedule
  • D. NITI Aayog, whose Governing Council is the only forum in which Union Territories can raise constitutional demands

Q11. Consider the following statements regarding the reorganisation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir: 1. The reorganisation took effect from the appointed day of 31 October 2019. 2. Legislative assemblies were provided for both the successor Union Territories. 3. As constituted by the reorganisation law, the Union Territory of Ladakh comprised the two districts of Kargil and Leh. 4. The existing High Court of Jammu and Kashmir was made the common High Court for both the successor Union Territories. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The reorganisation took effect from the appointed day of 31 October 2019.
  2. Legislative assemblies were provided for both the successor Union Territories.
  3. As constituted by the reorganisation law, the Union Territory of Ladakh comprised the two districts of Kargil and Leh.
  4. The existing High Court of Jammu and Kashmir was made the common High Court for both the successor Union Territories.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q12. The Karnataka High Court's sittings outside its principal seat, which had earlier functioned as circuit benches, were later given permanent status. At how many places were such permanent benches established?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. Four