New Delhi: The Supreme Court was informed on Wednesday that the Centre and Leh administration are against the release of detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on health grounds.
The bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice P B Varale had last week urged the government to review its decision to detain Wangchuk under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), considering his deteriorating health in the jail.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, informed the Court on Wednesday that Wangchuk is healthy and thus it would not be possible to release him on health grounds.
“We have examined his (Wangchuk’s) health periodically for 24 times. He is fit, hale and hearty. He had some digestive issue, he is being treated. There is nothing to worry, nothing alarming. We can’t make exceptions like this. The grounds on which the detention order was passed, continues. It will not be possible to release him on health grounds. It may not be desirable also. We have given utmost consideration,” Mehta said, as reported by Bar and Bench.
Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J Angmo had moved the plea in the Supreme Court against his detention. The activist was detained under the NSA following protests in Leh in September 2025 over demands of statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Angmo’s counsel had told the Court last month that Wangchuk has the democratic right to protest against the government and such sentiments do not threaten the security of the State to warrant his detention.
The Union government had countered this by saying that Wangchuk wanted the Union Territory to face and agitation and violence on the lines of what had transpired in Nepal and Bangladesh.
Wangchuk has allegedly referred to the Central government as “them”, thus revealing secessionist tendencies, and instigated the GenZ (Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012) ) to indulge in a civil war, it was submitted by the Centre.
“He (Sonam Wangchuk) refers to the Central government as “them”. This “us” and “them” is enough for NSA detention. There is no us and them. We are all Indians,” it was submitted.
Blaming the activist for last year’s Leh violence, the government said that all procedural safeguards were followed in passing the detention order.
Under the NSA, the government can detain a person for up to one year without trial.
