'Can't Be Permitted To Spread Venom': In SC, Centre Defends Sonam Wangchuk's Detention Under NSA

Last Updated:February 02, 2026, 16:39 IST

“Does Wangchuk want Ladakh to become Nepal and Bangladesh?” the Centre asked before the court, as it defended the detention.

Wangchuk, a Ramon Magsaysay awardee and the prominent face of the movement demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards for Ladakh, was detained on September 26. File pic/PTI

The Centre on Monday defended the detention of activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) before the Supreme Court, arguing that his statements posed a serious threat to national security and public order.

A bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Prasanna B Varale heard the matter.

Appearing for the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Wangchuk could not be permitted to “spread venom" by making calls for plebiscite and referendum, especially in a strategically sensitive region like Ladakh, which is critical for the country’s defence and supply chain for forces stationed at the border.

He stressed that bringing the region to a standstill was something that must be prevented.

The Centre questioned Wangchuk’s statements in which he claimed that every region has the right to decide where it belongs and advocated a plebiscite and referendum. Mehta asked whether such remarks did not make it a fit case for invoking the NSA.

“Does Wangchuk want Ladakh to become Nepal and Bangladesh?" the Centre asked before the court, as it defended the detention.

The Solicitor General also alleged that Wangchuk was instigating the youth to self-immolate. “He is giving calls for plebiscite and referendum," the Centre told the court, arguing that such actions could not be permitted.

Questioning Wangchuk’s remarks about the armed forces, Mehta said, “He is sitting in a place surrounded by Pakistan and China and saying the ‘Indian Army’ is weak?" The Centre said such statements were highly objectionable.

Mehta also objected to Wangchuk’s use of a metaphor comparing Ladakh to “Sita Maa," where he allegedly said that while Ram rescued her from Ravan, she was later put up for sale in the marketplace to big businessmen. The Solicitor General said such a figure of speech was unacceptable.

Reiterating the government’s stand, the Centre told the Supreme Court that Wangchuk cannot be allowed to “spread venom," and that his statements and actions constituted a fit case for detention under the NSA.

Wangchuk was detained under the NSA and lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan after protests erupted in Leh in September 2025 over demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory of Ladakh.

On January 29, Wangchuk told the apex court that he never made any statement about overthrowing the government like the Arab Spring, asserting that he has a democratic right to criticise and protest against the government and that such views do not pose a threat to the security of the state to justify his detention.

These submissions were made by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, arguing for Wangchuk’s wife, Angmo. The top court directed that Wangchuk be examined by a specialist after he complained of stomach issues due to contaminated water.

Sibal further argued that the agency’s allegation that Wangchuk instigated people at the border was completely baseless, stating that he has always followed the peaceful path of “anshan and padyatras" as shown by Mahatma Gandhi.

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