Ladakh Administration Orders Halt to Sonam Wangchuk's Desert Flower School Activities Amid Ongoing Land Dispute

Activist Sonam Wangchuk and Gitanjali J Angmo co-founded the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) in 2017. They designed the institute as an alternative higher education model for mountain communities. The local administration allotted 1,076 kanals of land at Phyang Thang to the group in May 2018. This 40-year lease agreement required the institute to establish a campus. The administration later alleged that the institute failed to complete lease formalities. The administration also claimed the organization did not establish the university as intended. This disagreement created a dispute between the organization and the local government.

The Ladakh administration cancelled the land allotment in August 2025. HIAL filed a writ petition to challenge this cancellation. The case remains before the High Court. Sonam Wangchuk participated in protests that demanded statehood for Ladakh and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Authorities detained Wangchuk under the National Security Act on September 26, 2025. He was released in March 2026.

1. The Ladakh administration issued a notice on November 1, 2026, directing the Desert Flower School to stop all activities. "The Hindu" news outlet dated the order November 3, 2026. The administration stated the school began operations without obtaining the required consent, clearances, or approvals from the relevant authorities.

2. Ladakh’s Higher Education Department certified in October 2026 that HIAL is not a recognized university. The department noted that the institute's courses lack statutory affiliation with the University of Ladakh or other recognized bodies.

3. The administration directed HIAL to maintain the status quo for school operations. It stated this measure prevents prejudice to the ongoing land dispute. The case remains before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

4. Gitanjali J Angmo, the CEO of HIAL, submitted a formal request to the Deputy Commissioner of Leh on September 22, 2026. She sought a no-objection certificate and clearance for the school's proposed managing committee members.

1. The Ladakh administration maintains that a 40-year land lease expired in May 2019. The administration asserts that the institute failed to execute the required deed, failed to establish the proposed university, and did not complete a formal handover of the land.

2. The administration stated in a 136-page court affidavit that the lease lapsed by operation of law on May 5, 2019. HIAL failed to pay the required land premium and the ground rent.

3. Wangchuk cites a February 2021 official communication that allegedly permitted construction to continue while lease formalities were pending, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and Ladakh's transition to a Union Territory.

4. Dr. Angmo stated that HIAL applied to execute the lease deed on May 20, 2018. This application submitted 15 days after the institute received the land allotment.