The Union Government has revoked the detention of environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), citing a need to restore peace and facilitate dialogue in Ladakh.
Sonam Wangchuk’s Detention Revoked
Wangchuk was initially detained on September 26, 2025, following a law-and-order situation in Leh on September 24, 2025. The detention order was issued by the District Magistrate, Leh, to maintain public order in the region.
The government stated that Wangchuk had already served nearly half of the maximum period of preventive detention allowed under the NSA.
The Supreme Court has been hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Dr. Gitanjali Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife, challenging his detention since last October. Following his detention, Wangchuk was transferred to Jodhpur Central Jail.
A bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Prasanna B Varale is scheduled to hear the matter on March 17.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, had argued that all materials forming the basis of the detention were not provided to him. A key point of contention was whether Wangchuk had been given access to videos of speeches the administration deemed inflammatory. The administration claimed to have provided a pendrive containing the videos, but the Court questioned whether Wangchuk had an opportunity to view them in custody.
During previous hearings, the Court also suggested the administration was “reading too much into” Wangchuk’s speeches and flagged discrepancies in their translations.
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