New Delhi: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, currently detained in Jodhpur Central Jail under the National Security Act (NSA), on Thursday denied allegations in the Supreme Court that he had called for overthrowing the government on the lines of the Arab Spring, asserting his constitutional right to dissent and engage in peaceful protest.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo, told a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale that the police had relied on selectively edited video clips to mislead the detaining authority. Sibal argued that the activist never made any call for violence or regime change and offered to place the full transcription of the video on record.
Referring to the prosecution’s claims, Sibal said Wangchuk had not stated that the government should be overthrown if Ladakh was not granted statehood. He also rejected allegations that Wangchuk suggested the people of Ladakh would not support the Indian Army during wartime, calling such claims “false” and based on misrepresentation.
Sibal further clarified that remarks attributed to Wangchuk regarding Hindu deities were taken out of context. He explained that Wangchuk had used an allegory from the Ramayana to criticise the Centre for allegedly failing to fulfil promises made to Ladakh after its separation from Jammu and Kashmir, particularly with regard to constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule. He stressed that the comments were not derogatory and were wrongly amplified through misinformation campaigns.
Highlighting Wangchuk’s environmental activism, Sibal said Ladakh’s fragile ecology required protection and that raising concerns over unchecked development was both legitimate and necessary. Drawing parallels with environmental issues in Uttarakhand and the Aravalli region, he argued that peaceful protest to protect nature could not be equated with anti-national activity.
The hearing remained inconclusive, and the matter has been posted for further hearing on February 2.
Angmo has challenged Wangchuk’s detention as illegal and arbitrary, alleging violations of fundamental rights and due process. She has contended that her husband was not supplied complete grounds of detention nor given a fair opportunity to make a representation against the order.
Wangchuk was detained on September 26 last year, two days after violent protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status left four people dead and several injured. While authorities have accused him of instigating the unrest, Angmo has maintained that Wangchuk consistently advocated non-violence and had publicly condemned the clashes, calling them the saddest moment of his life.
The NSA allows preventive detention for up to 12 months to prevent actions deemed prejudicial to national security, though such orders can be revoked earlier.
