Supreme Court To Hear Plea By Sonam Wangchuk’s Wife Against His Detention Under NSA On Oct 6

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on October 6 a petition filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of Ladakh climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) and seeking his immediate release.

According to the court’s cause list for October 6, the plea will be heard by a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria.

Wangchuk was detained on September 26—two days after large-scale protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh resulted in four deaths and 90 injuries. He is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan.

In her habeas corpus petition filed through senior advocate Vivek Tankha and lawyer Sarvam Ritam Khare, Angmo has urged the top court to direct the Ladakh administration to "produce Sonam Wangchuk before this court forthwith." The plea also seeks quashing of the preventive detention order and immediate access—both telephonic and in person—to the detained activist.

The petition names the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ladakh UT administration, Deputy Commissioner of Leh, and Jodhpur jail superintendent as respondents, alleging that the invocation of the NSA against Wangchuk—permitting detention without trial for up to 12 months—is "illegal, arbitrary, and unconstitutional," violating Articles 14, 19, 21, and 22 of the Constitution.

Wangchuk, known globally as an environmentalist and social reformer, was detained under Section 3(2) of the NSA by the Deputy Commissioner of Leh while recovering from a prolonged fast highlighting Ladakh’s demand for constitutional safeguards.

The plea states that he was swiftly transferred to Jodhpur without access to medicines, personal items, or legal counsel, and that no formal grounds of detention have yet been provided to him or his family.

Angmo’s petition further alleges that she has been placed under virtual house arrest in Leh, while faculty and students of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL)—founded by Wangchuk—are being subjected to harassment, intimidation, and intrusive investigations.

Describing the detention as a "deliberate attempt to suppress peaceful democratic dissent," the plea says the incident has caused widespread anguish in Ladakh, including a recent suicide of a member of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, reportedly distraught over Wangchuk’s arrest.

The petition also urges the Supreme Court to direct authorities to ensure Wangchuk is provided with his medicines, clothes, food, and other basic necessities, to submit his medical report after a doctor’s examination, and to stop the harassment of HIAL members and students, who "have done no harm and are working for the benefit of Ladakh’s ecology."

(with PTI inputs)