Wangchuk’s wife highlights parliamentary praise, questions delays in SC hearing on activist’s detention

Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, on Monday said that the HIAL (Himalayan Institute of Alternatives), Ladakh — which she co-founded with Wangchuk — had been recognised by a parliamentary panel as a model institution for higher education, even as the Supreme Court deferred hearing her challenge to his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).

In a post on X, Angmo said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, a bipartisan group of 31 MPs that reviews the functioning of the Ministry of Education, had included HIAL and SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh) in its latest report.

The committee, chaired by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, visited Ladakh in July and spent half a day assessing the institutions’ work.

Presenting its report in Parliament, the panel noted HIAL’s contributions to community engagement, experiential learning and the strengthening of Indian Knowledge Systems.

It recommended that the University Grants Commission not only grant recognition to HIAL but also study it as an exemplar of National Education Policy implementation.

Angmo said the recognition underscored the institute’s impact at a time when Wangchuk remains incarcerated. The activist was detained under the NSA on 26 September, two days after violence during protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh left four people dead.

Angmo has challenged his detention in the Supreme Court, calling it arbitrary and unsupported by evidence.

In a second post, Angmo criticised the continued delays in the judicial process. She said the Solicitor General, appearing for the Union government, again sought time before arguments could begin, resulting in the matter being pushed to 15 December.

“Is delay the tactic when the case is devoid of merits?” she wrote, questioning why the government had not yet responded substantively despite earlier directions from the court.

The Supreme Court is examining Angmo’s plea that Wangchuk’s detention relies on “stale FIRs and speculative assertions” and violates his fundamental rights.

The Centre has defended the use of the NSA as a preventive measure. The adjourned hearing next week is expected to determine whether the court will scrutinise the grounds of detention or issue interim relief.