Sonam Wangchuk’s Preventive Detention to Face Advisory Board Scrutiny on Oct 24 at Jodhpur Jail
The proceedings are part of the review process under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), which mandates the Advisory Board to examine the legality and necessity of the preventive detention
An Advisory Board headed by former Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court judge, Justice M.K. Hanjura (Retd.), will hear climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk’s representation on October 24 at Jodhpur Central Jail.
The three-member board includes Manoj Parihar, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Leh, and Spalzes Angmo, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kargil. The proceedings are part of the review process under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), which mandates the Advisory Board to examine the legality and necessity of the preventive detention.
Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo has confirmed via her tweet, that they will attend the proceedings in the capacity of a “friend,” as permitted by law, to assist during the hearing.
“I have full trust in the Advisory Board to stand for truth and justice,” the tweet stated, expressing confidence in the fairness of the upcoming proceedings.
The Advisory Board’s findings and recommendations will determine whether Wangchuk’s PSA detention continues or is revoked.
Before the Supreme Court, on October 15, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had defended the Centre asserting that Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under the NSA followed due process and his legal rights were not violated.
As per PTI reports, the Leh District Magistrate in an affidavit has told the Apex Court that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under the National Security Act on September 26 was lawful, citing his alleged role in inciting violence in Ladakh. The DM has confirmed Wangchuk was informed of his detention, the grounds were communicated, and the order forwarded to the Advisory Board.
Notably, in a fresh affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, Gitanjali J. Angmo has 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.
She alleged that during her meeting with Wangchuk, DCP Manglesh and a lady constable sat within earshot, took notes of their conversation, and later, on the instruction of the Jail Superintendent, photographed her private legal notes prepared for Wangchuk’s legal defence. Angmo also claimed she was prevented from meeting anyone or visiting other places in Jodhpur and was escorted to the railway station, where the officers even boarded her train and travelled for two hours before alighting at Merta Road Junction.
The petition challenges 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.
Previously, on October 6, 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.