The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a petition filed by Gitanjali J. Angmo, the wife of Leh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention.
The plea seeks urgent judicial intervention against what she terms an unlawful arrest of the noted environmentalist and innovator.
A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria is scheduled to hear the matter on October 6, according to the causelist published on the Supreme Court’s website.
On Friday, Gitanjali J. Angmo tweeted that she had filed a Habeas Corpus petition in the Supreme Court seeking relief against the detention of her husband, Sonam Wangchuk. She added that it has been a week since his detention, and she has no information about his health, current condition, or the grounds for his arrest.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has held Wangchuk responsible for inciting violence in Leh town. Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike since September 10, ended his fast and left the scene in an ambulance when unrest broke out. He was subsequently detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and transferred to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan.
Both the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), leading the demand for statehood and inclusion of the UT in the 6th Schedule, have called for the unconditional release of Wangchuk and all others detained on September 24, along with accountability for the firing that killed four civilians.
The victims of the firing have been identified as Jigmet Dorjey of Kharnak, Rinchen Dadul of Hanu, Stanzin Namgail of Igoo, and Tsewang Tharchin of Skurbucha.
The UT administration stated that security forces opened fire in self-defence after protesters threw stones and set a CRPF vehicle on fire, allegedly intending to harm the personnel inside. During the unrest, the mob also torched the local BJP office and the LAB office, while the vehicle of DGP S.D. Singh Jamwal was damaged and he sustained minor injuries.
Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known activist from Ladakh, has gained respect for his work in education, environmental protection, and social initiatives. He has consistently advocated for educational reforms and sustainable development in the region. Wangchuk has received both national and international recognition for establishing low-cost schooling models, promoting environmental conservation, and encouraging scientific innovation among students.
(With IANS Inputs)