Five councillors from the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) challenged the Ladakh Lieutenant Governor's order in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The order nominated Reyaz Ahmed Khan, a Muslim, to the council to represent the Muslim community. However, the petitioners argue that the nominated seat is reserved for the "principal religious minority" in Kargil, which is Buddhists, not Muslims. Four petitioners are Muslim councillors, including Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, LAHDC Kargil chairman, and three executive councillors. The fifth petitioner is a Buddhist executive councillor, Punchok Tashi. Ladakh has two districts: Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil. The Kargil hill council has 30 seats. In the 2023 elections, National Conference won 12 seats, Congress 10, BJP and Independents two each. On November 12, L-G Kavinder Gupta nominated advocate Reyaz Ahmed Khan as the fourth nominated member of LAHDC, Kargil. The nomination was made under Section 4 (2) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, 1997. This section allows nominating up to four persons from the district's principal religious minorities or women. The petition says the nomination must be from the principal minority or a woman to ensure representation. The 2011 census shows 77% of Kargil’s population is Muslim, while 14.29% are Buddhist, and 7.34% Hindu. Since Muslims are the majority in Kargil, the nomination should represent Buddhists as the minority. In 2024, three nominated members included two Buddhists and one woman. The petition also noted that Reyaz Ahmed Khan lost the 2023 hill council election on a ticket from a national party currently ruling at the Union level. The councillors urge the court to quash the L-G’s nomination order, saying it goes against the LAHDC Act and minority representation rules.