Supreme Court disposes of wife’s plea challenging Sonam Wangchuk’s detention
Bench said there was nothing left in the matter
The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of a petition filed by Gitanjali J Angmo challenging the detention of her husband, activist Sonam Wangchuk, under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980. Wangchuk had been lodged in Jodhpur Jail following violent protests in Leh in September 2025.
A Bench led by Justice Aravind Kumar noted that the Centre had already revoked Wangchuk’s detention and there was nothing left in the matter.
Earlier, the top court had asked the Centre whether it would reconsider Wangchuk’s detention in view of his health condition. The government had declined to do so at the time.
However, on March 14, the Centre revoked Wangchuk’s detention with immediate effect, leading to his release from Jodhpur Jail.
The activist was detained on September 26, 2025, under Section 3(2) of the NSA, two days after protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and Sixth Schedule status turned violent, leaving four people dead and nearly 100 injured.
The NSA empowers the Centre and state governments 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.
On January 29, Wangchuk had denied inciting supporters to overthrow the government, rejecting comparisons with the Arab Spring and asserting his democratic right to criticise and protest.
However, the Centre and the Ladakh Administration had sought to justify Wangchuk’s detention, saying he was detained for instigating people in a sensitive border area.
