While climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), fights a land allotment cancellation in court, the institute has landed in fresh trouble. The Ladakh administration has issued a notice to the school asking it to stop classes and other activities at Desert Flower School in Leh, alleging that the school began functioning without necessary clearances.
The notice, issued by the Tehsildar of Leh, is addressed to Wangchuk's wife, Dr Gitanjali J Angmo, the founder and CEO of HIAL. In the document, the officer asked her to "strictly maintain the status quo" and do nothing that could "prejudice" the case pending before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The administration said Angmo had written to the Leh Deputy Commissioner on September 22 seeking a no-objection certificate (NOC) or clearance for the proposed members of the managing committee of Desert Flower School at Phyang, under the HIAL ecosystem.
However, it claimed that classes and other activities had already started at the school without the necessary consent or approval from the relevant authorities concerned.
Angmo has been advised not to undertake any action towards the functioning or commencement of activities until the court decides the case or issues further directions, the notice says.
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The administration has linked the warning to an ongoing legal dispute over land allotted to HIAL. It has directed the institute to ensure that its actions do not affect the matter before the court.
The case dates back to May 2018, when HIAL was allotted 1,076 kanals and one marla of land at Phyang Thang to establish an alternative university focused on sustainable development in the Himalayan region.
The allotment was proposed for a 40-year lease, subject to conditions. On August 21, 2025, the Ladakh administration cancelled it, alleging that the institute had neither completed the lease formalities nor established the university for which the land was allotted.
In September this year, the court restrained the administration from creating third-party rights over the disputed land while it heard the petition. The interim order did not set aside the cancellation of the land allotment.
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In October, the administration defended the cancellation in a 136-page affidavit. It claimed that HIAL's allotment had automatically lapsed in May 2019 because the lease deed was not executed and the mandatory land premium was not deposited within one year.
The administration also pointed to an October 2026 certification from Ladakh's Higher Education Department that HIAL was not a recognised university and that its courses lacked statutory affiliation.
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Angmo has said HIAL applied for execution of the lease deed on May 20, 2018, just 15 days after the land was allotted, and followed up repeatedly with the authorities.
Wangchuk, too, has accused the administration of delaying the process. He claimed to have made five written appeals, 15 visits and 30 phone calls to get the lease deed executed.
He also cited a February 2021 official communication which, according to him, acknowledged delays during Ladakh's transition into a Union Territory and the COVID pandemic and allowed construction to continue while the lease formalities were pending.
Wangchuk has alleged that the land dispute is being used to target him over his activism in Ladakh. The administration has maintained that the conditions of the allotment were not met.
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