Ladakh admin has directed Gitanjali J. Angmo, CEO of Sonam Wangchuk’s HIAL, to maintain strict status quo at Desert Flower School, warning that continued operations could prejudice the ongoing legal proceedings over cancelled land allotment.
BY PC Bureau
November 3, 2026: The Union Territory Administration of Ladakh has issued a notice directing the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL), co-founded by climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, to immediately stop the functioning and commencement of classes or other activities at its Desert Flower School in Phyang, Leh.
The notice, issued on November 1 by the Tehsildar, Leh, is addressed to Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo, Founder and CEO of HIAL and wife of Wangchuk. It states that the school had begun operations without obtaining the necessary consent, clearances, or approvals from competent authorities. The administration has instructed HIAL to maintain a strict status quo and refrain from any action that could prejudice the proceedings already pending before the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
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According to the notice, Angmo had written to the Deputy Commissioner, Leh, on September 22, 2026, seeking a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) or clearance for the proposed members of the managing committee of Desert Flower School under the HIAL ecosystem. However, the administration noted that the school commenced functioning without the required approvals.
The action is linked to an ongoing legal dispute over land allotted to HIAL. The UT Administration cancelled the land allotment to the institute in August 2025. HIAL subsequently filed a writ petition before the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh challenging the cancellation; the matter remains sub-judice.
The Tehsildar’s notice specifically advises HIAL “not to undertake any action whatsoever towards the functioning or commencement of activities at the school, until the final decision of the Hon’ble High Court or further directions are issued.”
HIAL, co-founded by Wangchuk and Angmo, operates Desert Flower School as part of its educational ecosystem focused on alternative learning and sustainable mountain development. The administration’s latest direction places a clear restraint on the school’s proposed activities while the land allotment case is under judicial consideration.
The land in question—approximately 1,076 kanals and one marla at Phyang Thang—was originally allotted to HIAL in May 2018 on a proposed 40-year lease for establishing an alternative university focused on sustainable mountain development. In court filings related to the pending petition, the administration has maintained that the allotment lapsed due to non-execution of the lease deed and non-payment of required dues, a position contested by HIAL, which has argued that administrative delays prevented formalisation of the lease.
