Wangchuk detained only to silence his dissent: Wife to SC

Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has told the Supreme Court that Wangchuk's detention is a calculated attempt to silence his right to dissent. In her amended plea, Wangchuk's wife has told the top court that his detention is not on the basis of genuine concerns of public order or security.

Last month, Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act following violent protests in Leh over demands for statehood and the Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory of Ladakh.

His wife sought permission from the Supreme Court on Wednesday to amend her plea to challenge his incarceration on merits after the grounds of detention were recently given to him.


She has submitted that the detention order and grounds of detention are prima facie unsustainable in law as they are premised upon irrelevant grounds, stale FIRs, extraneous material, self-serving statements and suppression of information.

Her amended plea contends that the grounds of detention rely on five FIRs, out of which three date back to more than a year and in which there is neither any allegation against him nor is there specific mention of his name.

Her plea added that the fifth FIR, dating a day prior to his detention, only states that it is against some "unknown miscreants". It adds that only the fourth FIR names Wangchuk, but it was lodged immediately after he joined the Apex Board of Leh. The plea states that this FIR pertains to completely different facts.

A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria permitted Angmo's application seeking to amend the plea and asked the Centre to respond to the additional grounds raised by her. The case will come up for resumed hearing on November 24.