Supreme Court Questions Centre Over Detention of Sonam Wangchuk, Wife Denied Access

Supreme Court Questions Centre Over Detention of Sonam Wangchuk, Wife Denied Access

RMN News Report Highlights:

🧑‍⚖️ The Supreme Court questioned the Centre regarding why climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, was not given prior notice of the grounds for his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).

🚫 Gitanjali Angmo, who filed a habeas corpus plea, informed the bench that she has not been allowed to meet her husband since his detention on September 26.

🔥 Violent protests demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh erupted in Leh on September 24, 2025, resulting in clashes, arson, and demonstrators setting fire to the ruling BJP office.

💊 The court instructed that Wangchuk must be provided with necessary medicines, clothes, and medical attention, as he had been fasting prior to his detention and was detained without his belongings.

RMN News Legal Desk
New Delhi | October 6, 2025

New Delhi, October 6, 2025 – The Supreme Court of India on Monday (October 6) questioned the Central government regarding the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), following violent clashes in Ladakh that left four people dead.

The bench, comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria, issued notices to the Centre, Jammu & Kashmir, and Rajasthan after hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo. Wangchuk was detained on September 26, two days after the protests began in Leh.

Grounds of Detention Questioned

The Supreme Court specifically questioned the Centre as to why Wangchuk’s wife had not been given prior notice of the grounds for his detention. Appearing for Angmo, senior lawyer Kapil Sibal argued that they could not challenge the detention without receiving a copy of the detention notice. Angmo’s petition, filed under Article 32, challenges the detention as illegal under Article 22, stating that neither she nor her husband had been given the reasons for his detention.

The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, maintained that the grounds of detention had already been served to Wangchuk, and that his brother had met him after he was taken into custody. Mehta, however, argued that there was no legal requirement to serve the grounds to the detenue’s wife, suggesting that the petitioner was attempting to “create a new ground of challenge”.

The Supreme Court countered this stance, noting that the grounds must be supplied as per its previous judgments and asked the Solicitor General, “Why withhold it from his wife? Let it be served to her,”.

Claims of Denied Access and “False Hype”

Angmo informed the court that she has not been allowed to meet her husband since his detention on September 26. Wangchuk is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail. Sibal requested that Angmo be allowed to meet him, noting she had not been granted access despite visiting Jodhpur last week.

The Solicitor General accused the petitioner of trying to create an “emotive atmosphere” and “false hype,” particularly in the media and the region, by suggesting Wangchuk was deprived of medicine and access to his wife. Mehta stressed that no one was being prevented from meeting Wangchuk, and claimed a list of 12 people had been permitted to meet him.

Meanwhile, the court instructed that Wangchuk must be provided with necessary clothes, medicines, and medical attention, as he had been fasting prior to his detention and was detained without his belongings. The Supreme Court will next hear the matter on October 14.

Context: Violent Protests in Leh

Wangchuk’s detention followed violent protests that erupted in Leh on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. The protests were spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and described as Gen Z unrest, demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule.

The unrest escalated significantly, leading to clashes, stone pelting, and arson. Demonstrators set fire to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in the city, burned papers and furniture inside the complex, and set multiple vehicles, including police vans, ablaze. The violence resulted in 90 injuries and four deaths.

Protesters alleged that the violence was a reaction to the failure of the Union government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to acknowledge their demands. The unrest occurred after two participants in a 35-day hunger strike were hospitalized.

Climate activist Wangchuk, who had been involved in the agitation, ended his own 15-day fast after the violence began, issuing a video message calling the acts “nonsense” that damaged the cause. Wangchuk had previously emphasized that the BJP had promised to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule before the upcoming Hill Council polls and urged the promise be fulfilled, noting that some people were “getting nothing through peaceful protest” and public patience was “wearing thin”.