Ladakh is a Union Territory (UT) of India, a type of administrative division directly governed by the Central Government. It was established on October 31, 2019, following the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Prior to this, Ladakh was a region within the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Act, which received the President's assent on August 9, 2019, bifurcated the state into two UTs: Ladakh and the residuary Jammu and Kashmir.
The creation of the UT of Ladakh addressed a long-standing demand from many Ladakhis for separation from the former state, citing distinct cultural, linguistic, and geographical identities. The mechanism of the UT is defined by Section 3 of the Reorganisation Act, which specifies the "Formation of Union territory of Ladakh without Legislature". This means Ladakh is administered by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the President of India under Article 239 of the Constitution, and it does not have an elected legislative assembly. The UT comprises the districts of Leh and Kargil.
Ladakh connects directly to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which also abolished the special status granted to the former state under Article 370 of the Constitution. While the UT of Ladakh does not have a legislature, the two districts continue to elect their respective Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs), which have competence over a range of domestic affairs. Ladakh sends one elected representative to the Lok Sabha. The administration of Ladakh is under the jurisdiction of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.