Sonam Wangchuk's Health Concerns 'A Social Media Facade': Centre Opposes Release Before Supreme Court

The Supreme Court was told today that there is nothing alarming about the health conditions of Sonam Wangchuk, who is currently detained under the National Security Act (NSA).

"We have examined the health aspect..he has some digestive issues..but nothing to be alarmed..it wont be possible or desirable..We gave utmost consideration..", Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale.

Court was further told the plea of deteriorating health was a social media facade.

The court also heard the submissions made by Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj who argued that ground realities cannot be assessed by person sitting elsewhere.

ASG Nataraj, on court's observation that Wangchuk cited Gandhian ways, said, "We can't pick a particular sentence and say his is the Gandhian way..". He added that detaining authority has to examine the situation to prevent something untoward from happening.

SG Mehta also interjected at this juncture to add, "There is stark distinction between Wangchuk's speech and Gandhian principles..its CHALK and CHEESE..tomorrow a headline can come that your lordships compared him to Gandhiji..this health facade is a social media facade..attempts are being made, I do not want to legitimise it..".

The bench will continue hearing tomorrow the habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of Sonam Wangchuk, filed by his wife Gitanjali Angmo, seeking a declaration that Wangchuk’s detention under the NSA is illegal.

Court had recently urged the Central government to review Wangchuk’s continued detention in light of his deteriorating health. The Bench had underscored that habeas corpus petitions require expeditious consideration, given that they directly concern personal liberty.

On the last hearing, Centre had told the court that NSA safeguards were fully complied with and that detention followed statutory review process. Earlier, the Solicitor General had argued that the Court’s scrutiny in preventive detention cases is limited. He submitted that judicial review must focus on the existence of reasons for detention and whether fair treatment was accorded, without examining the sufficiency of those reasons unless they are “totally alien” to the statute. “Every word used in the detention order has contextual meaning, and every State has region-specific sensitivities,” Mehta had said.

SG Mehta also referred to the speeches made by Wangchuk and said, "This is a call for secessionist activity..Ladakh is essential to the supply chain for the forces at our border..He says Arab Uprise is the ideal, Bangladesh is the ideal, Nepal is the ideal...We know what kind of a change came in Bangladesh and Nepal...he wants that to happen in Ladakh..In a country united by the bond of Constitution..there is no 'their' government..its our government.."

"A blood bath took place in Arab countries and government of six countries were thrown out by this ARAB Spring which Wangchuk refers to..he wants the Gen Z to do this..the speech is an invitation to indulge in a civil war..he is urging impressionable youth to self immolate..", SG had added.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Wanghcuk argued the detention order is unconstitutional and procedurally flawed. Court was told that the detention was founded on four grounds, including four videos dated September 24, which were never supplied to the detenue. He told Court the detention order dated September 26, 2025, relied primarily on four videos dated September 10, 11 and 24, which were cited as the most proximate material leading to the detention.

In the petition before Supreme Court, Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo alleged that she is being followed and placed under surveillance by Intelligence Bureau officials and the Rajasthan Police both in Jodhpur and Delhi, calling it a violation of her fundamental rights under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. Angmo stated that she was escorted from the airport by IB and police officers who insisted she travel with them in a vehicle with white curtains drawn to block the view. According to the affidavit, the officers remained with her throughout the visit, including inside the office of the Jail Superintendent, and did not allow her to move freely in Jodhpur.

Angmo has challenged Wangchuk’s continued detention as “illegal and politically motivated”, alleging that the invocation of the NSA is an attempt to stifle peaceful protest and dissent. Wangchuk, known for his environmental activism in Ladakh, was detained following a series of demonstrations demanding constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory.

On October 6, 2025, the Court has issued notice in the plea. According to the petition, Wangchuk, an internationally acclaimed innovator and social reformer, was detained on September 26, 2025, by the Deputy Commissioner, Leh, while he was recovering from a prolonged fast undertaken to demand constitutional safeguards for Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule. He was subsequently shifted to Central Jail, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, without being furnished the grounds of detention.

Case Title: Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo vs. Union of India & Ors.

Bench: Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale

Hearing Date: February 11, 2026