The Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments in the case of jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, claimed that the tenor of his speech was intended to quell violence, not incite it. She alleged that authorities manipulated facts to portray him as a criminal and denied him a fair opportunity to respond to the detention order.

Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, 2025, following violent protests in Leh demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, which left four dead and 90 injured. The government accused him of inciting unrest, but his counsel argued that his speech during a hunger strike condemned violence and called for peace.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, played a video of Wangchuk’s speech before the bench, stating that it explicitly appealed to stop violence. Sibal noted that the detaining authorities did not consider this vital evidence when issuing the NSA order and delayed providing Wangchuk with the grounds of detention, violating Article 22 of the Constitution.

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Sibal contended that the administration relied on four videos as the basis for detention but failed to supply them to Wangchuk until 28 days later, limiting his ability to make an effective representation. The advocate stressed that such a delay vitiates the detention order under Indian law.

Angmo told the court that the violence on September 24 could not be attributed to Wangchuk, who had condemned the events through social media and emphasized peaceful advocacy. She called the portrayal of her husband as promoting violence “misleading” and urged the court to ensure his rights were protected.

The hearing was inconclusive and will continue on January 12, as the Supreme Court weighs the claims of procedural lapses and the nature of Wangchuk’s speech against the grounds for NSA detention. Wangchuk’s legal team insists that he is being denied due process and proper judicial consideration.

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