Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Response On Plea By Wangchuk’s Wife To Release Him

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Central Government in response to a writ petition filed by Gitanjali Angmo, wife of Ladakh-based activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention under the National Security Act, 1980. The petition follows recent violent clashes in Ladakh, reported Live Law.

The writ plea, a habeas corpus petition under Article 32, seeks the release of Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is detained in Jodhpur Central Jail. The petition challenges the legality of his detention under Article 22, citing that neither the wife nor Wangchuk has been provided with the grounds for his arrest. The Union Government, Ladakh Administration, and the Superintendent of Jodhpur Central Jail have been named as respondents in the case.

A bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria stated that the matter will be heard on next Tuesday

Wangchuk was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, two days after protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh left four people dead and 90 injured in the Union territory. Wangchuk is lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan.

In her plea filed through senior lawyer Vivek Tankha and lawyer Sarvam Ritam Khare, Angmo has also questioned the decision to invoke the NSA against Wangchuk, which allows detention without a trial for up to 12 months, as per a PTI report.

His wife alleged that she has been kept under virtual house arrest in Leh, while students and staff of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), founded by Wangchuk, are facing harassment, intimidation, and intrusive investigations, PTI reported.