Sonam Wangchuk ‘perfectly good’, getting best of treatment: Centre to Supreme Court
Insisting that Wangchuk was unwell, his lawyer said it was high time to reconsider his detention
The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that activist Sonam Wangchuk -- detained under the NSA in Jodhpur Central Jail since September 26 last year following violent protests in Ladakh -- was in a "perfectly good" condition and was getting the best of treatment in custody.
A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice PB Varale, which had on February 4 sought to know from the Centre if there was any possibility for it to relook at Wangchuk’s detention in view of his health condition, asked Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj if there was any progress.
"What happened?… Any progress?… Has it been done?" the Bench asked the ASGj who said no progress has been made regarding review of Wangchuk's detention. "I will submit... Nothing has been done as of now. He is getting the best of treatment,” Nataraj told the Bench.
Insisting that Wangchuk was unwell, his lawyer said it was high time to reconsider his detention.
"There are issues, and it's not like you are not denying it, and he is also making a complaint of health issues. The doctor says yes, it is there, and now treatment is being provided. Admittedly, the health issue is there, and on the last day itself we made the suggestion," Justice Varale told Nataraj.
"So far as the health issue is concerned, he's perfectly good... Jaipur is a better place to get treatment than Ladakh. There is AIIMS in Rajasthan, whereas in Ladakh, there would have been nothing,” the ASG said.
"No, no, you can't say that," Justice Varale said.
"This is a habeas corpus petition… you should understand that in a habeas corpus petition. You can't say that. On (last) Friday also, we could not take up the matter,” the Bench told Natraj after he urged it to defer the heating. The Bench clarified it will not grant any further adjournments.
Finally, the Bench said it will take up on Wednesday Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali Angmo’s petition challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, as illegal.
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 last week sought to justify before the Supreme Court Wangchuk's detention under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, saying he was detained for instigating people in a sensitive border area.
