Sonam Wangchuk wants Ladakh to become Nepal, Bangladesh: Centre defends detention in Supreme Court
PTC News Desk: The Centre on Monday justified before the Supreme Court the preventive detention of Ladakh-based social activist Sonam Wangchuk, contending that his public speeches amounted to incitement, carried separatist overtones and posed a threat to national security in a strategically sensitive border region.
Representing the Union government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that Wangchuk had sought to influence the younger generation by pushing Ladakh towards situations witnessed in countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, referring to episodes of political unrest and violence. The matter was heard by a Bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Prasanna Varale on a petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Geetanjali, challenging his detention.
At the outset, the Bench noted that under Article 32, the court does not act as an appellate authority over detention orders, and the central issue was whether the grounds and material cited had a direct link to national security concerns.
Mehta submitted that the court’s role was limited to examining whether the District Magistrate was justified in being satisfied that Wangchuk’s actions could disturb public order. He said the detention order concluded that Wangchuk’s speeches had the potential to incite harmful activities and disrupt public peace.
The Solicitor General further told the court that the detention was carried out following due process and within a span of four hours. He said a DIG had shown Wangchuk video clips of his speeches, which the activist acknowledged as genuine. Quoting excerpts from the speeches, Mehta argued that Wangchuk selectively invoked references to non-violence and Mahatma Gandhi to mask inflammatory statements.
“The district magistrate must assess the speech as a whole. One cannot isolate a line or a sentence and claim it reflects Gandhiji’s words,” Mehta said, adding that the younger generation interprets messages differently.
- With inputs from agencies
