Supreme Court adjourns hearing on wife's plea challenging Sonam Wangchuk's detention to Feb 26

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to February 26 the hearing on a plea filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, against the latter's detention under the National Security Act.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale deferred the matter as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was not available.

Earlier, the top court had asked the Centre if there was any possibility for the government to relook at the detention of Wangchuk, considering his health condition.

Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj had submitted that Wangchuk was responsible for violence in Leh on September 24 last year, in which four people died, and 161 were injured.

The Centre and the Ladakh administration had told the apex court that Wangchuk was detained for instigating people in a border area where regional sensitivity was involved.

Justifying Wangchuk's detention, Mehta had told the bench that all procedural safeguards were followed while ordering his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).

The NSA empowers the Centre and states 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.

The Centre had said that Wangchuk tried to instigate the Gen Z for protests similar to Nepal and Bangladesh.

Mehta had said that Wangchuk even referred to an Arab Spring-like agitation, which led to the overthrow of multiple governments in countries in the Arab world.

On January 29, Wangchuk, who is lodged in the Jodhpur Central Jail, denied allegations that he made a statement to overthrow the government like the Arab Spring, emphasising that he had the democratic right to criticise and protest.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Angmo, submitted that police relied on "borrowed material" and selective videos to mislead the detaining authority.

Angmo has termed Wangchuk's detention illegal and an arbitrary exercise violating his fundamental rights.

Wangchuk was detained on September 26 last year, two days after violent protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh left four people dead in the Union territory.

The government accused him of inciting the violence.

The plea said it is wholly "preposterous" that Wangchuk would suddenly be targeted after more than three decades of being recognised at the state, national and international levels for his contributions to grassroots education, innovation and environmental conservation in Ladakh and across India.

Angmo claimed the unfortunate events of violence in Leh on September 24 last year cannot be attributed to the actions or statements of Wangchuk in any manner.

Wangchuk himself had condemned the violence through social media posts, categorically saying that violence would lead to the failure of Ladakh's "tapasya" and peaceful pursuit of five years, Angmo said, adding that it was the "saddest day" of his life.