Supreme Court pushes hearing on Sonam Wangchuk’s detention case to December 8
The court deferred the matter after the Centre sought more time to respond to the rejoinder filed by Wangchuk's wife
Petition claims detention by NSA unjustified and vague
The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on a plea filed by the wife of activist-educator Sonam Wangchuk, currently detained under the National Security Act. The matter has now been rescheduled for December 8, after the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought more time to file the detailed response of the government.
Gitanjali J Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife, has challenged the legality of his detention, arguing that the grounds cited by authorities are vague, outdated and lack any direct link to activities that would justify the NSA. She has contended that the detention order relies on old FIRs and unsubstantiated claims.
Angmo underlined the fact that Wangchuk has been serving the causes of education, sustainability, and innovation in Ladakh for decades, and his sudden arrest is a blatant violation of his constitutional rights. She views invoking the NSA against a person with a decades-long record of peaceful public service as unjustified and disproportionate action.
A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria granted the adjournment after the Centre sought more time to respond to the rejoinder filed by Angmo. Till then, the hearing of further arguments in the case has been kept in abeyance.
Wangchuk has been in detention since September 26 over Leh violence that left several dead and injured. The authorities have accused him of instigating the unrest, which is absolutely denied by Angmo. She said he condemned the violence and was not at all involved with less than half the mandatory safeguards adopted under NSA.
The postponement means Wangchuk will continue to remain in detention while the government prepares its counter-reply ahead of the December 8 hearing.
