The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the grounds for detaining Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), saying that the Central government was reading “too much” into his statements. Earlier, both Centre as well as Leh administration opposed release of Ladakh climate activisit Sonam Wangchuk on health grounds and contended he is ‘hale and hearty’.
A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale made the observation while hearing the plea moved by Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J Angmo against his preventive detention.Opposing the plea, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj submitted that Wangchuk had warned that a violent agitation, akin to what occurred in Nepal, could take place in Ladakh and that youth were expressing doubts in the effectiveness of peaceful methods.
However, the Court said that Wangchuk had instead expressed worry about the same."He is worried...We will have to take the entire sentence…read it…'some people are abandoning Gandhian peaceful ways. This is worrying'...the focus is departure from non-violent way, departure is something worrying," the Court pointed out.
In response, ASG Nataraj said that Wangchuk had used "hybrid expressions" in his speech. At this, the Court said,“Too much of reading (into)."Later, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta said that the Court should not compare Wangchuk with Mahatma Gandhi."I was told that your lordships read Gandhiji’s last speech. Let us not glorify something which is completely anti-India with the father of the nation," Mehta said.
However, the Court said that it was read in some different context. Mehta expressed concern that the media would highlight it in a different manner, "Let it not become tomorrow's headline that your lordships compared petitioner to Gandhiji. We will have to see the context. This health facade is also a social media facade," the SG said.The Court said that it was not concerned with what happens outside.
"Why are you trying to make an ant out of a molehill? If you say that we should not ask questions, we will not ask," the Bench said, while asking ASG Nataraj to resume his arguments.Wangchuk has been detained under the NSA following protests in Leh in September 2025 over demands of statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Last week, the Court urged the Central government to review the decision to detain Wangchuk, considering his deteriorating health in the jail.Today, the Court was told that authorities have decided against releasing detained Wangchuk on health grounds.Angmo's counsel last month contended that Wangchuk has a democratic right to criticise and protest against the government and that such sentiments do not threaten the security of the State to warrant his detention.
In response, the Union government and the Leh administration on Monday claimed that Wangchuk wanted the Union Territory to face an agitation and violence similar to what had transpired in Nepal and Bangladesh.
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