Sonam Wangchuk’s Arrest Faces SC Scrutiny

Wife Asserts Husband’s Non-Violent Role

Gitanjali Angmo, wife of detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s, appeared before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, asserting that her husband had no involvement in the violence that broke out in Ladakh on September 24. She emphasized that Wangchuk was engaged in a peaceful protest through a hunger strike and highlighted serious procedural lapses in his detention following the incident.

Petition Highlights Procedural Irregularities

In a detailed petition submitted to the court, Angmo pointed out several flaws in the actions taken against her husband. She noted that four videos, which the authorities heavily relied upon in their justification for his detention, were only provided to Wangchuk 23 days after the fact.

Questionable Basis of Detention

Angmo told the court that the detention order was based on “stale” FIRs. Of the five FIRs cited, three were filed a year ago, while a fourth filed in August bore no connection to the September 24 incident. The fifth FIR, specifically linked to the Ladakh events, did not allege any violence, provocation, or instigation on Wangchuk’s part. “The FIR clearly mentions that certain miscreants instigated individuals who participated in the hunger strike,” she added.

Detention Order Lacks Legal Foundation

The petition described the detention as “grossly illegal and arbitrary,” arguing that it relied on outdated and irrelevant FIRs. Three of the five FIRs, registered in 2024, had no direct connection to Sonam Wangchuk’s detention in September 2025. Moreover, four of the FIRs, three of which were against unknown persons, did not even name him. The petition concluded that there was no clear or intelligible link between the FIRs and Wangchuk’s preventive detention under the National Security Act.

Authorities Cite Public Panic Without Evidence

The detention order was justified on the basis of potential public panic if Wangchuk were not detained. However, the petition argued that the authorities failed to provide any evidence linking his statements or actions to actual incidents of public unrest or media outrage.

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Sorit Chaudhary

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