New Delhi, Jan 7: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned to January 8 the hearing of a petition filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).
A bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice P B Varale deferred the matter after Justice Kumar observed, “Tomorrow? My brother (Justice Varale) wanted to go through this matter.” Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Wangchuk, agreed to the adjournment request.
The matter was previously being heard by a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria before the current bench composition.
The petition contends that Wangchuk’s detention is illegal and constitutes an arbitrary exercise of state power that violates his fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
On November 24, the apex court had deferred the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh, sought additional time to file a response to the rejoinder submitted by Angmo. Earlier, on October 29, the court had sought responses from the Centre and the Ladakh administration on an amended plea filed by Angmo.
Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the stringent provisions of the National Security Act on September 26, 2024—two days after violent protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the region resulted in four deaths and left 90 people injured. The government has accused the climate activist of inciting the violence that erupted during the demonstrations.
According to the amended petition, the detention order is based on “stale FIRs, vague imputations, and speculative assertions” and lacks any live or proximate connection to the purported grounds of detention. The plea argues that the order is devoid of any legal or factual justification.
“Such arbitrary exercise of preventive powers amounts to gross abuse of authority, striking at the core of constitutional liberties and due process, rendering the detention order liable to be vitiated by this court,” the petition alleged.
The plea emphasizes that it is “wholly preposterous” that after more than three decades of being recognized at the state, national, and international levels for his contributions to grassroots education, innovation, and environmental conservation in Ladakh and across India, Wangchuk would suddenly be targeted as a threat to national security.
Angmo has categorically stated that the unfortunate incidents of violence in Leh on September 24 cannot be attributed to any actions or statements made by Wangchuk. In fact, the petition highlights that Wangchuk himself publicly condemned the violence through his social media platforms immediately after the incidents.
According to Angmo, Wangchuk categorically stated that violence would lead to the failure of Ladakh’s “tapasya” (penance) and the peaceful pursuit that had continued for five years. She described September 24 as “the saddest day of his life,” emphasizing his commitment to non-violent methods of prot
The National Security Act empowers both the Central government and state governments to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in any manner deemed “prejudicial to the defence of India, the relations of India with foreign powers, or the security of India.” The maximum detention period under the Act is 12 months, though authorities retain the power to revoke the detention order earlier if circumstances warrant.
The case has drawn significant attention given Wangchuk’s prominence as an education reformer and environmental activist, particularly his work in Ladakh’s sustainable development and his role in inspiring the character in the Bollywood film “3 Idiots.”
