Chief Secretary Dr. Pawan Kotwal Chairs Meeting to Review Decriminalisation of State Laws

Leh, May 26, 2025: The Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, chaired a meeting virtually to review the ongoing process of decriminalisation of various state laws administered by different departments in the Union Territory.

The meeting commenced with a detailed presentation by Shashikant Bhagat, (A) Secretary, Department of Law and Justice. He provided an overview of the status and progress of the decriminalisation initiative, highlighting the state-specific laws currently in force in Ladakh that require review. He elaborated on the department-wise categorisation of laws proposed for decriminalisation and outlined the overall strategy being adopted for the exercise.

(A) Secretary, Shashikant Bhagat, further informed the gathering that departmental-level committees have been constituted to examine and identify provisions within the respective state laws that could be decriminalised. The aim of the exercise is to streamline legal provisions, promote ease of doing business, and reduce undue legal burden on citizens, while ensuring regulatory compliance is maintained through non-criminal penalties.

Chief Secretary Dr. Kotwal appreciated the efforts of the Law Department and underscored the importance of this reform initiative. He directed all departmental secretaries to constitute their respective departmental committees to actively participate in the identification and recommendation of laws and provisions that can be decriminalised.

He emphasized that the objective of this exercise is to modernize the legal framework in Ladakh and ensure that outdated penal provisions do not hinder administrative efficiency or public welfare.

The meeting was attended by the Director General of Police, UT Ladakh; Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce; Commissioner/Secretary, Planning Development & Monitoring Department and Finance; Secretary, Transport and Agriculture; Secretary, Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj; Secretary, Higher Education; Secretary, General Administration Department; Member Secretary, Ladakh Pollution Control Committee; Additional Secretary, Home Department; (A) Secretary, Law Department; Chief Prosecuting Officer; Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Leh; Deputy Labour Commissioner and concerned Legal Assistants of Law Department. Officers stationed outside Leh participated in the meeting through video conferencing.