SC seeks response on Sonam Wangchuk’s NSA detention, hearing on 14 October

The Supreme Court on Monday, 6 October, sought responses from the Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh on a petition filed by activist Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of climate campaigner Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) and seeking his immediate release.

A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria issued notices to the respondents but declined to direct the authorities to furnish the grounds of detention at this stage. The matter has been posted for further hearing on 14 October.

Angmo, expressing gratitude for the court’s intervention, said she would travel to Jodhpur to meet her husband and obtain the necessary documents to prepare for the upcoming hearing.

“I am grateful to the Supreme Court for issuing notice. I will be in Jodhpur to meet Sonam Wangchuk and obtain the grounds of detention to prepare for the hearing next Tuesday. I have faith in the Constitution, the judicial system and the people of India,” she said.

Wangchuk, renowned globally for his work on climate action, sustainable education, and Ladakh’s ecological preservation, was detained under the NSA on September 26, two days after protests in Leh demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent, leaving four dead and over 90 injured.

The NSA, a stringent preventive detention law, allows authorities to detain individuals without trial for up to 12 months in specific circumstances. Its invocation against Wangchuk has drawn widespread criticism from civil society groups, environmentalists, and human rights organisations, who argue that the law is being misused to stifle dissent.

According to Angmo’s petition, Wangchuk’s detention is “unlawful, arbitrary and without sufficient cause.” The plea contends that authorities have failed to provide valid grounds for confinement, violating constitutional guarantees of liberty and due process.

Wangchuk is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail, far from his home in Ladakh, a move that his family says has added to their emotional and logistical hardship. Angmo’s petition also highlights the humanitarian aspect, seeking his release on both legal and compassionate grounds.

The Supreme Court’s notice to the government marks the first significant judicial scrutiny of Wangchuk’s detention. Legal experts believe the outcome of the case could shape future interpretations of preventive detention laws, particularly in cases involving activists and public interest advocates.

Meanwhile, protests demanding Wangchuk’s release have intensified across Ladakh and several Indian cities, with environmental and student groups calling for greater transparency in the government’s use of the NSA and reiterating their faith in the judicial process.

With PTI inputs