Leh Violence: Sonam Wangchuk To Stay In Jail, SC Adjourns Urgent Release Plea Till Next Week

The Supreme Court also issued notice to the Centre, the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Superintendent of Police of Jodhpur Central jail on a plea by Wangchuk's wife.

Sonam Wangchuk, arrested under the stringent NSA amid Ladakh violence, will have to stay in jail for now.

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Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, arrested under the stringent NSA amid Ladakh violence, will have to stay in jail for now as the Supreme Court has adjourned the plea for his urgent release till October 14 (Tuesday). 

The apex court also issued notice to the Centre, the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Superintendent of Police of Jodhpur Central jail on a plea by Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, against his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) and seeking his release.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria refrained from passing any interim orders, saying it would first consider the responses from the authorities. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Wangchuk’s wife, Angmo, urged the court to provide her with the grounds of Wangchuk’s detention, which she has reportedly not received despite repeated requests. Sibal said the absence of this information prevented her from filing a representation against the order.

No Violation Of Wangchuk's Rights

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, countered that all legal procedures had been followed and there had been “no violation” of Wangchuk’s rights. He emphasised that under the NSA, the grounds of detention are served to the detainee and not automatically to family members, though the authorities would “examine the feasibility” of providing a copy to the wife.

The bench noted that Section 8 of the NSA mandates communication of detention grounds to the person detained and questioned why the high court had not been approached first before filing directly under Article 32. No directions were issued at this stage, but the court recorded Mehta’s assurance that Wangchuk’s medical needs would be met as per prison regulations.

Wangchuk was detained on September 26 following protests in Leh that turned violent two days earlier, leaving four civilians dead. Authorities said his speeches, in which he referred to “self-immolation” as a form of protest, posed a threat to public order.