SC says Sonam Wangchuk’s health not good, urges Centre to review detention

The Supreme Court on Wednesday verbally asked the Union government to rethink the continued detention of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been detained since September, considering that “his health is not that good”, Live Law reported.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale was hearing a petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo challenging the activist’s detention under the National Security Act.

Wangchuk was detained on September 26 and taken to a jail in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur after protests in Leh demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. During the protests, demonstrators clashed with and threw stones at security personnel, injuring several of them. Four persons were killed in police firing.

Varale told Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj that it had been nearly five months since Wangchuk was detained and highlighted the activist’s worsening health condition.

“Considering more particularly his health and condition of the detenue, which is certainly not very good,” Live Law quoted Varale as saying. “Even the report which we saw on the earlier occasion, it shows that his health is not that good, and there are certainly [other factors] age-related. Is there any possibility for the government to rethink?”

Nataraj responded that he will place the suggestion before the authorities, Bar and Bench reported.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Nataraj alleged...

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