New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear on Wednesday a petition challenging the detention of Ladakh-based climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA).
The plea, filed by Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J. Angmo, questions both the legality of his detention and the procedure followed by the authorities.
Earlier this month, a Bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria allowed Angmo to amend her writ petition after her counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, sought permission to include new details provided by the government. Sibal informed the court that the Centre had since supplied the grounds of detention to Wangchuk, prompting revisions to the original plea. The court then scheduled the next hearing for Wednesday.
The original petition had argued that officials failed to share the grounds of detention within the timeframe mandated under Section 8 of the NSA, which requires that detainees be informed of the reasons for their detention promptly. However, the Leh administration, through an affidavit filed by District Magistrate Romil Singh Donk, maintained that the information was duly communicated within the stipulated period.
Meanwhile, the Advisory Board formed under the NSA recently conducted a review of Wangchuk’s detention. The three-member panel—comprising former judge M.K. Hujura (Chairman), District Judge Manoj Parihar, and social activist Spal Jayesh Angmo—held a three-hour closed-door session at Jodhpur Central Jail, where both Wangchuk and his wife were present.
The proceedings reportedly centred on the administration’s rationale for invoking the NSA and on Wangchuk’s representation challenging his detention.
Wangchuk, widely acclaimed for his sustainable innovations and environmental work in Ladakh, was detained under the NSA earlier this year—a move that triggered nationwide protests and drew sharp criticism from civil rights groups, who described his detention as arbitrary and unjustified.
