Supreme Court defers Sonam Wangchuk detention case hearing by a day

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) gave itself a day’s time to enable Justice P.B. Varale, the puisne judge on the Division Bench headed by Justice Aravind Kumar, to read the case records of a challenge launched by Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo against the Centre for detaining her husband and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act.

The case was earlier heard by a Bench of Justices Kumar and NV Anjaria. However, the Bench combination changed post the winter vacations with Justice Varale replacing Justice Anjaria.

Mr. Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980 following violent protests on September 24 in Leh. He was detained on September 26 and shifted to the Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan.

Ms. Angmo alleged the Ministry of Home Affairs had nursed “strong reservations” about Mr. Wangchuk’s inclusion in the High Powered Committee delegation of Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance formed to held talks with the government on issues of Statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards for Ladakh.

She has denied that Mr. Wangchuk used the platform of protest to target the government. She accused the detaining authority of “malicious intent”.

“The brazen allegation that Mr. Sonam Wangchuk has acted as chief provocateur in the violent protest that took place on 24 September 2025 is false, malicious and fabricated and entirely contrary to the material on record… On the contrary, Mr. Sonam Wangchuk has made significant contributions in support of national security and the Armed Forces,” Ms. Angmo argued.

Ms. Angmo, represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Vivek Tankha and advocate Sarvam Ritam Khare, has said the complete grounds of detention were shared with Mr. Wangchuk after a “flagrant delay” of 28 days despite his repeated representations to his detainers. She submitted that Section 8 of the NSA required the detaining authority to share the complete reasons for detention within 10 days to provide the detenue the “earliest opportunity to make an effective representation against the order to the appropriate government”.