SC defers hearing on petition challenging Sonam Wangchuk’s NSA detention to March 10
A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice PB Varale said that during the Holi vacation, it will watch the videos of Wangchuk’s speeches given to it
The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred to March 10 the hearing on a petition filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, the wife of activist Sonam Wangchuk—detained under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, since September 26, 2025, following violent protests in Leh—challenging his detention.
A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice PB Varale said that during the Holi vacation, it will watch the videos of Wangchuk’s speeches given to it.
“We wanted to see those pen drives. We have asked the Registrar IT to make arrangements during vacations,” it said, adding it will finish hearing on March 10 and reserve its order.
As the matter came up for hearing, a lawyer representing the Centre sought an adjournment on the ground that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was busy in another court.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, opposed the adjournment plea, saying this can’t be allowed. He said the Centre should file written submissions.
When the matter was taken up again at 3:45 pm, Mehta submitted that a CD had been submitted and that he would make submissions after the court watched it.
Following this, the Bench posted the matter for hearing on March 10 and said it would watch the videos by then.
Earlier, the top court had asked the Centre if there was any possibility of having a relook at Wangchuk’s detention in view of his health condition.
The activist was detained on September 26, 2025 under Section 3(2) of the NSA, two days after protests demanding Ladakh’s statehood and the Sixth Schedule status turned violent, leaving four persons dead and nearly 100 injured.
The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India”. The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.
Wangchuk had on January 29 denied exhorting his supporters to overthrow the government like the Arab Spring and asserted his democratic right to criticise and protest.
The Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh Administration had sought to justify Wangchuk’s detention under the NSA, saying he was detained for instigating people in a sensitive border area.
Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj had alleged that Wangchuk was responsible for the September 24, 2025 violence in Leh in which four people were dead and 161 injured.
On February 23, the Bench had deferred the hearing on Angmo’s petition to Thursday as the Solicitor General was not available.
On February 19, Sibal had alleged that four videos that formed the basis of his detention were not shown to him. The Supreme Court had on February 18 questioned the Centre over the transcripts of videos submitted by it against Wangchuk, saying translations should be precise in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
