NEW DELHI, Oct 4: The Supreme Court will on October 6 take up a crucial habeas corpus petition filed by Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and seeking his immediate release. As per the apex court’s cause list, the plea is scheduled to be heard by a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria.
Wangchuk, a globally recognized engineer and environmentalist known for his advocacy on Ladakh’s ecological and political issues, was detained on September 26 under the NSA, a law that permits preventive detention without trial for up to 12 months. His arrest came two days after violent clashes erupted during protests demanding full statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The September 24 unrest left four people dead and nearly 90 injured, triggering a wave of outrage and condemnation from civil society and political groups. He is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan.
In her petition, filed through senior advocate Vivek Tankha and advocate Sarvam Ritam Khare, Angmo has strongly questioned the basis and legality of invoking the NSA against her husband. The plea argues that Wangchuk’s detention is “illegal, arbitrary, and unconstitutional,” alleging that it violates fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (equality before law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression), 21 (protection of life and personal liberty), and 22 (protection against arbitrary detention) of the Constitution.
The petition seeks a series of urgent directions from the apex court, including an order for the Ladakh administration to “produce Sonam Wangchuk before this court forthwith” and an immediate quashing of the preventive detention order. Angmo has also requested the court to ensure that she is granted unhindered access to her husband, both through telephonic communication and in-person meetings, which she claims have so far been denied.
The habeas corpus plea names the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Union Territory administration of Ladakh, the deputy commissioner of Leh, and the superintendent of Jodhpur jail as respondents. It contends that the authorities have failed to justify the extraordinary use of the NSA against a peaceful activist whose decades-long work has focused on sustainable development, climate adaptation, and constitutional rights for Ladakh.