New Delhi, December 7, 2025— The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a petition filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, questioning the legality of his arrest under the National Security Act. She has argued that the detention is arbitrary and violates his fundamental rights. The matter is scheduled to be taken up by a bench headed by Justices Aravind Kumar and N. V. Anjaria.
The hearing comes after the case was postponed on November 24, when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh, sought more time to respond to Angmo’s rejoinder. The court had earlier issued notices to the Centre and the Ladakh administration on October 29 based on her amended petition.
In her plea, Angmo submits that the detention order relies on outdated FIRs, vague accusations, and speculative assertions that fail to establish any direct threat to public order. She argues that invoking preventive detention in this manner erodes constitutional safeguards and amounts to a serious misuse of power.
The petition highlights Wangchuk’s long-standing contribution to education, climate action, and sustainable development, and says he is being unjustly targeted. It adds that he had condemned the violence in Leh on September 24 — an incident that killed four people and injured 90 — and warned that such unrest threatened Ladakh’s hard-earned peace over the past five years. The plea states that there is no evidence linking him to the clashes.
Wangchuk was detained under the NSA on September 26, two days after protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protections for Ladakh turned violent. Authorities have accused him of fuelling the unrest, a claim the petition strongly contests.
Under the National Security Act, the government can detain individuals considered a threat to national security or public order for up to 12 months unless the order is revoked.
