New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to confront a fresh controversy after activist Sonam Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, moved a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA). The petition was filed late on October 2, even as the top court remains shut for the Dussehra break.
Wangchuk, a well-known education reformer and climate activist, was taken into custody on September 26. Authorities allege he incited the Ladakh statehood protests that spiraled out of control, resulting in four deaths and nearly fifty injuries when police opened fire in Leh on September 24. The government has insisted the action was necessary to maintain order, but the arrest has sharply divided public opinion in the region.
Though the matter has not yet been listed, Angmo's plea stresses that she has been kept in the dark. In her own words on social media,
"I have no information about Sonam Wangchuk's health, the condition he is in, nor the grounds of detention."
Lawyers are expected to seek an urgent hearing once the court reopens on October 6.
There is no judicial ruling yet. The bench will first decide whether to take up the matter urgently. Until then, Wangchuk remains in preventive detention under the NSA.