The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, 1995 is a legislative Act that provides for the establishment of Autonomous Hill Development Councils (AHDCs), which are statutory institutions of local self-government for decentralized administration in the Ladakh region. The Act, sometimes cited as Act No. XXXI of 1997 but deemed effective from June 1, 1995, was enacted in response to long-standing demands from the Ladakhi people for greater autonomy and a stronger voice in their own development, given their distinct cultural and religious identity from the rest of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir. It solved the problem of underdevelopment and lack of representation by decentralizing planning and involving the local community.
The Act works by empowering the government under Section 3(1) to constitute an AHDC in each district. Each Council is a body corporate and consists of 30 Councillors, with 26 chosen by direct election and up to 4 nominated by the Lieutenant Governor from principal religious minorities and women. The executive power is exercised by an Executive Council led by a Chief Executive Councillor (CEC). The Councils have executive, financial, and administrative authority over district-level development, land use, health, education, and tourism, and can levy local taxes and fees.
The Act is connected to the concept of democratic decentralization and was used to establish the LAHDC Leh in 1995 and the LAHDC Kargil in 2003. Following the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir, the Act is now being used to extend the AHDC framework to all seven districts of the Union Territory of Ladakh, a move announced in July 2026. This extension, which requires amendments and delimitation of constituencies, is part of a broader effort that includes a proposed customized constitutional framework under Article 371 to safeguard the region's land, jobs, and culture.