Supreme Court adjourns plea challenging Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under NSA to March 10

The Supreme Court on Thursday (February 26, 2026) adjourned to March 10 the hearing on a plea filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, the wife of jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).

A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale said it will go through the videos of Mr. Wangchuk’s speeches given to it during the Holi vacation.

“We wanted to see those pen drives. We have asked the Registrar IT to make arrangements during vacations,” the Bench observed.

The top court clarified that it will finish hearing the plea on March 10 and reserve its order.

The top court on February 23 adjourned the matter for hearing on Thursday (February 26) as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was not available. As the matter came up for hearing, a lawyer appearing for the Centre sought an adjournment on the ground that Mr. Mehta was busy in some other court.

The adjournment request was strongly opposed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Ms. Angmo, who said this cannot be allowed and the Centre should be permitted to file written submissions.

The Bench then told the Centre’s lawyer to call Mr. Mehta at 3.45 p.m. and deferred the matter.

When the matter was taken up later, Mr. Mehta appeared before the Bench and submitted that a CD had been submitted, and he would make submissions after the court watches it.

The court then posted the matter for hearing on March 10 and said it would watch the videos by then.

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

Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj had submitted that Mr. 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 top court that Mr. Wangchuk was detained for instigating people in a border area where regional sensitivity was involved.

Justifying Mr. Wangchuk’s detention, Mr. Mehta had told the Bench that all procedural safeguards were followed while ordering his detention under the NSA.

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

Mr. Sibal submitted that the police relied on “borrowed material” and selective videos to mislead the detaining authority. Ms. Angmo has termed Wangchuk’s detention illegal and an arbitrary exercise violating his fundamental rights.