Sonam ‘perfectly good’, getting best treatment, Govt tells SC

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that activist Sonam Wangchuk — detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail since September 26 last year following violent protests in Ladakh — was in a “perfectly good” condition and was receiving the best treatment in custody.

A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice PB Varale, which had on February 4 asked the Centre whether there was any possibility of reconsidering Wangchuk’s detention in view of his health condition, sought an update from Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj.

“What happened?...Any progress?... Has it been done?” the Bench asked. Nataraj responded that no progress had been made regarding a review of Wangchuk’s detention. “I will submit… Nothing has been done as of now. He is getting the best of treatment,” he told the Bench.

Insisting that Wangchuk was unwell, his counsel said it was 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 observed.

“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 responded.

“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 Nataraj after he sought a deferment of the hearing, making it clear that no further adjournments would be granted.

The Bench said it would take up on Wednesday the petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, challenging his detention under the NSA, 1980, as illegal.

On January 29, Wangchuk had denied exhorting supporters to overthrow the government in the manner of the Arab Spring and asserted his democratic right to criticise and protest.

The Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh administration had last week justified his detention before the Supreme Court, stating that he was detained for allegedly instigating people in a sensitive border area.