Supreme Court Hears Petition Against Detention of Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk

Legal Proceedings for Sonam Wangchuk's Detention

Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent activist from Ladakh, was reportedly not visible in the videos cited by authorities to justify his detention under the National Security Act, as stated by lawyer Kapil Sibal during a Supreme Court hearing on Monday.

This argument was presented to a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna Varale, who are reviewing a habeas corpus petition filed by Wangchuk’s spouse, Gitanjali Angmo. She claims that her husband's detention is unlawful and infringes upon his fundamental rights.

Wangchuk was taken into custody in Leh on September 26, shortly after four individuals lost their lives due to police gunfire amid protests advocating for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Following his arrest, he was transferred to a facility in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

The bench indicated that it would expedite the hearing process, emphasizing the urgency of the habeas corpus petition concerning personal liberty, even though Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was unavailable due to personal commitments.

Sibal, representing Angmo, contended that the four videos used by the authorities to justify Wangchuk's detention had not been provided, hindering the activist's ability to mount a proper defense.

He pointed out a significant time discrepancy between the events cited by the authorities and the issuance of the detention order against Wangchuk, as reported.

Sibal noted that many documents referenced dated back to March 2024, while the detention order was issued on September 26, 2025.

According to the detention order, the key incidents occurred on September 10, 11, and 24, 2025, but the videos related to those dates were not made available to Wangchuk.

Instead, the authorities relied on older footage, including one from June 8, 2025, where it was alleged that Wangchuk had incited public unrest, Sibal stated.

If the June 8 video was the basis for his detention, Wangchuk should have been arrested the following day, Sibal argued.

He also highlighted that Wangchuk had delivered a speech advocating for non-violence, which the authorities seemingly overlooked.

Furthermore, the videos from September 24 were recorded post-violence and were being improperly used against Wangchuk, who was not present in those recordings, Sibal claimed.

The court proceedings are set to continue on Tuesday.

On September 24, clashes erupted in Leh, leading to police firing and violence. Protesters engaged in confrontations with law enforcement, resulting in the burning of a police vehicle and the Bharatiya Janata Party office.

The Union government has alleged that Wangchuk's 'provocative statements' incited the violence.

In October, Angmo filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging her husband's detention, arguing that the order was based on outdated and irrelevant first information reports, many of which did not mention Wangchuk.