The petition alleges multiple procedural violations, including a 28-day delay in providing grounds for detention — a direct breach of the National Security Act’s statutory safeguards.
By PC Bureau
New Delhi | October 29, 2025: Climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) was “vitiated by grave and incurable procedural lapses,” and a “calculated attempt to silence a respected citizen” who has long championed peaceful dissent.
In a detailed application filed before a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria, Angmo sought permission to amend her pending writ petition challenging her husband’s detention. She said the administration had failed to comply with mandatory procedural safeguards under the NSA and that the order was politically motivated, intended to prevent Wangchuk from leading a growing public movement in Ladakh for constitutional safeguards and statehood.
‘Detention Meant to Suppress Dissent’
Wangchuk, who is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail, was detained on September 26, two days after four protesters were killed in police firing during demonstrations in Leh. The protests had been organized by the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) — two umbrella groups that have spearheaded the call for Ladakh’s inclusion under Sixth Schedule protections and the restoration of statehood.
In her plea, Angmo argued that the detention was “a calculated attempt to prevent Mr. Wangchuk from exercising his democratic and constitutional right to dissent,” and that “his continued detention should be vitiated on account of grave and incurable procedural lapses.”
The court granted Angmo permission to amend the petition, observing:
“Application is filed seeking leave of this court to amend the writ petition to place on record additional facts, documents, and to raise additional grounds. Having regard to the averments in the application, the same is allowed.”
The bench directed that the amended petition be filed within a week, while the respondents — including the Union Territory administration of Ladakh and the Union Home Ministry — have been given ten days to submit additional statements of objection. A rejoinder, if any, must be filed within another week. The matter will next be heard on November 24.
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‘Targeted for His Activism’
In the amended petition, Angmo “categorically denied” allegations that Wangchuk had acted in any way prejudicial to the maintenance of public order or the security of Ladakh. She pointed out that Wangchuk’s life work — from establishing the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) to pioneering the Ice Stupa Project — had been lauded nationally and internationally.
“It is wholly preposterous,” the petition stated, “that after more than three decades of being recognized at the state, national, and international levels for his contributions to grassroots education, innovation, and environmental conservation, Mr. Sonam Wangchuk would suddenly be viewed as a threat to public order.”
Angmo further alleged that the detention was politically timed. “Merely two months before elections and in the midst of final rounds of dialogue between the ABL, KDA, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Wangchuk was served with notices for land lease cancellation, FCRA revocation, initiation of a CBI investigation, and summons from the Income Tax Department. These coordinated actions make it evident that his detention is not driven by genuine concerns for public order or security, but to silence a respected citizen exercising his right to dissent,” she said.
‘No Link to Leh Violence’
The plea also dismissed allegations linking Wangchuk to the September 24 violence in Leh, stating that “the unfortunate events of that day cannot be attributed to his actions or statements in any manner.”
“At the time of the incident, Mr. Wangchuk was on the 15th day of his peaceful, non-violent hunger strike at NDS Park, Leh,” the application said. “The gathering began with prayers led by Buddhist monks and speeches by leaders of the Apex Body Leh, including Mr. Tsering Lagruk. Later, when a small faction of youths left the site chanting slogans, ABL leaders immediately tried to defuse the situation.”
The petition maintained that “Mr. Wangchuk was not present at or near the site where the violence occurred” and that “as soon as he was informed, he took steps to appeal for calm and prevent escalation.”
Violation of Procedural Safeguards
Angmo also highlighted procedural violations in the detention process, alleging that the authorities had not provided her husband with the full grounds of detention within the statutory time limit.
“The complete grounds of detention were only supplied to Mr. Wangchuk after a delay of 28 days,” she said. “This is in clear violation of the timeline mandated under Section 8 of the NSA, which requires the detaining authority to communicate the grounds to the detainee at the earliest opportunity, not exceeding five days, and under exceptional circumstances, ten.”
Such a delay, she argued, “renders the entire detention illegal and unconstitutional.”
From wooing him with a BJP ticket in 2019 to arresting him under the NSA in 2025.@GitanjaliAngmo tells @BDUTT “Those who once wanted him in Parliament now want him silenced.”#SonamWangchuk #Ladakh
Watch Here : https://t.co/pSjvcwGtTo pic.twitter.com/5HAr3uH8or
— Mojo Story (@themojostory) October 29, 2025
A Long Journey from Innovator to Dissenter
Known globally as an engineer, innovator, and education reformer, Sonam Wangchuk has been a towering figure in Ladakh’s public life for over three decades. His work inspired the character of Phunsukh Wangdu in the 2009 Bollywood film 3 Idiots, and his grassroots initiatives in renewable energy and sustainable mountain development earned him the Ramon Magsaysay Award and several other honors.
However, his relationship with the central government has strained sharply in recent years. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which stripped Ladakh of its statehood and special constitutional protections, Wangchuk emerged as one of the most visible advocates for restoring democratic rights and ecological safeguards for the region.
In 2023 and 2024, he led several fasts and marches demanding statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule — a constitutional provision offering protection for tribal land and culture. His peaceful protests drew thousands, alarming the administration which viewed them as potential flashpoints for unrest.
A Broader Struggle for Ladakh’s Identity
For many in Ladakh, Wangchuk’s detention has come to symbolize the region’s broader struggle for identity and representation. The ABL and KDA, once rivals, have joined forces to press for constitutional safeguards, arguing that the administration’s decisions on land, jobs, and resources have increasingly marginalized local voices.
“Wangchuk is not just an individual,” said a member of the ABL. “He represents the collective conscience of Ladakh — someone who has always stood for peace, education, and environmental integrity. His detention is not just about one man, but about silencing an entire movement.”
As the Supreme Court prepares to hear the case in November, the outcome is likely to have implications beyond Wangchuk himself — shaping the future of dissent, democracy, and regional autonomy in India’s northernmost territory.
