‘His health is not good’: SC asks Centre to review Sonam Wangchuk’s detention  

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought to know from the Centre if there was any possibility for it to relook at the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk in view of his health condition.

"Apart from submissions, counter-submissions and law points, just give a thought to it, as an officer of the court. The detention order is passed on September 26, 2025, nearly five months. Considering the health condition of the detainee...The report which we saw earlier, it shows that his health is not that good. There are certain age-related, may be otherwise. Is there a possibility for the government to rethink or even relook,” a Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice PB Varale told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) KM Nataraj.

The ASG said he would convey the suggestion to the authorities concerned. He alleged that Wangchuk was responsible for violence in Leh last year in which four people died and 161 were injured.

"It was ultimately his provocative speech, provocation, instigation. The person need not actively participate, the propensity of a person to influence a group of persons...that is more than sufficient," Nataraj said, contending that the order of Wangchuk's detention was approved on October 3, 2025, and there was no challenge to the approval order.

The Bench will take up the matter on Thursday.

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 people dead and nearly 100 injured.

Detained under the NSA in Jodhpur Central Jail since September 26 last year, Wangchuk had on January 29 denied exhorting his supporters to overthrow the government and asserted his democratic right to criticise and protest.

The Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh Administration had on Tuesday sought to justify before the Supreme Court activist Sonam Wangchuk's detention under the NSA, saying he was detained for instigating people in a sensitive border area.

"This court is dealing with a person who is instigating people in a border area, adjacent to Pakistan and China, where regional sensitivity is involved," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the Bench.