The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a plea filed by Gitanjali Angmo challenging Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under the National Security Act (NSA) and seeking his release. The hearing has been rescheduled for October 15.
A division bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria adjourned the case at the request of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner.
The bench noted, “Due to the paucity of time, the matter will be taken up tomorrow on the request of the petitioner’s counsel.”
Earlier, the court had sought a response from the Centre, the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the Superintendent of Jodhpur Central Jail on the plea of Gitanjali Angmo.
Senior advocate representing Wangchuk told the apex court that the grounds of detention had not been provided to the family and should be served to her. Sibal added that the plea challenges the detention as an illegal procedure under Article 22, as no grounds for arrest had been supplied.
Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the union government, said the grounds of detention had already been served to Wangchuk and that there is no legal requirement for the grounds of detention to be communicated to his wife.
Wangchuk was arrested on September 26 and shifted to Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan for allegedly inciting violent protests in Ladakh. He was jailed under the NSA after the violence in Leh, in which four people were killed and 80 others were injured.
The protests in Ladakh turned violent after Gen Z torched the BJP office in Leh and torched several vehicles stranded on the road.
The petition challenging the detention said the charges were “baseless and floated with the sole aim of defaming, maligning and discrediting his peaceful Gandhian movement” aimed at protecting the ecology of Ladakh.
The plea said that a “systematic campaign” had been “unleashed against” Wangchuk, alleging links with Pakistan and China.
Also Read: Foreign conspiracy behind Leh violence, says Ladakh LG
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