High Court reconstitutes commercial division benches for J&K, Ladakh
Srinagar, July 15
The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Wednesday reconstituted the Commercial Division Benches for its Srinagar and Jammu wings to hear and dispose of commercial disputes, including arbitration proceedings, under the provisions of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015.
According to an order issued by the Registrar General of the High Court, the reconstitution has been made in supersession of HC Order No. 1449 of 2024/RG dated September 25, 2024, and shall remain in force until further orders.
As per the order, the Srinagar Wing Commercial Division will comprise Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi and Justice Shahzad Azeem, while the Jammu Wing Commercial Division will consist of Justice Rajesh Sekhri and Justice Sanjay Parihar.
The order states that the Commercial Division Benches shall hear and dispose of all suits and applications relating to commercial disputes, including arbitration proceedings involving commercial matters, filed or pending on the original side of the High Court.
The order has been issued by Registrar General M.K. Sharma with the approval of the Acting Chief Justice.
In a separate order, the High Court also reconstituted the Commercial Appellate Division under Section 5 of the Commercial Courts Act.
The Srinagar Wing Commercial Appellate Division will comprise Justice Sindhu Sharma and Justice Sanjay Dhar, while the Jammu Wing will consist of Justice Rajnesh Oswal and Justice Mohd Akram Chowdhary.
This order has also been issued in supersession of the related order dated May 9, 2024, issued by the Registrar General. The two reconstitutions were made by the Acting Chief Justice and would remain in force until further orders.
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh holds territorial and appellate jurisdiction over the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. It is one indivisible court with two permanent sittings: the Srinagar Wing (operating during the summer) and the Jammu Wing (operating during the winter).
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some attention to commercial matters! Investors in J&K have been waiting for efficient dispute resolution. The Commercial Courts Act of 2015 has potential, and this reconstitution might actually make it work. Let's see if the new benches deliver results.
Good move, but I hope the judges are properly trained in commercial law. Arbitration is a complex area and we need specialists, not just general judges. The Jammu Wing bench with Justice Rajesh Sekhri and Justice Sanjay Parihar should bring experience.
Interesting development. I work with some Indian companies doing business in the region, and commercial dispute resolution has been a pain point. The dual wing system (Srinagar in summer, Jammu in winter) is unique but this reconstitution might bring consistency. Let's hope the backlog gets cleared.
Nice to see procedural updates like this. Though I wish the government would also focus on simplifying the actual commercial laws rather than just reshuffling benches. Still, dedicated benches for commercial disputes are welcome. Let's hope the lawyers and litigants get faster justice now.
As someone monitoring legal reforms in India, this is a positive but incremental step. The Commercial Courts Act 2015 is powerful if implemented well. What J&K really needs is more judges and faster case management systems, not just bench reshuffling. Still, better than nothing!
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