Supreme Court Adjourns Hearing on Plea Challenging Sonam Wangchuk’s Detention to October 29, Climate Activist’s Wife to Amend Petition; Kapil Sibal Seeks Access for Wangchuk to Share Notes
New Delhi, Oct 15, KNT: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned to October 29 the hearing on a petition filed by Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA). The court deferred the matter after Angmo sought permission to amend her petition to specifically challenge the grounds of detention.
A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria noted that the jailor of Jodhpur Central Jail, where Wangchuk is lodged, had filed an affidavit confirming that the detainee’s elder brother and lawyer had met him.
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Appearing for Angmo, senior advocate Kapil Sibal informed the bench that the petitioner would soon file an amended plea and also requested that Wangchuk be permitted to exchange written notes with his wife for legal and personal communication.
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Responding to this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, told the court that he had no objection to the detainee sharing notes with his wife. The court accordingly recorded the submission.
Earlier, on October 6, the top court had issued notices to the Union Government and the Union Territory of Ladakh, seeking their response on the detention, but had declined to order immediate disclosure of the detention grounds. The case was first listed for October 14 before being adjourned to Wednesday due to time constraints.
Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known environmentalist and education reformer, was detained under the NSA on September 26, two days after violent protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status resulted in four deaths and around 90 injuries. The administration accused him of instigating unrest and inciting violence during the demonstrations.
Under the National Security Act, the government can detain individuals to prevent actions deemed “prejudicial to the defence of India” or public order, for a maximum of 12 months, though the detention can be revoked earlier. [KNT]
