'Govt seeking dates as NSA case lacks merit': Sonam Wangchuk’s wife on his 'illegal detention': 'If it can happen to him…'

Sonam Wangchuk (file photo)

• Sonam Wangchuk's wife calls his detention a misuse of power and democracy test
• She cites procedural lapses and outdated evidence in Wangchuk's NSA detention
• Angmo says legal delays and pressure have impacted their educational initiatives

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For Gitanjali Angmo, the detention of her husband is no longer only about one man behind bars. It has become, she says, a test of how power operates in the country. “...it's not just about Sonam Wangchuk as an individual, but about the state of democracy in this country, about the use of power for illegal detention of people who have been working for this country,” she told news agency PTI, remarking, "if it can happen to Sonam, it can happen to anybody else.”

Speaking as a wife, an educator, and a co-founder of institutions he built, Angmo described the months since his arrest as exhausting, legally complex, and emotionally draining. Yet, she insists the case itself is simple.

The detention and what followed

Sonam Wangchuk, a Magsaysay Award-winning climate activist and educationist, was taken into custody on September 26 under the National Security Act (NSA), days after protests over statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent. He was shifted to a jail in Jodhpur.

Angmo said the legal process that followed only deepened her concern. “It has been quite an uphill task,” she has been quoted as saying, explaining that even accessing the detention order and meeting her husband required approaching the Supreme Court through a habeas corpus petition.

She added that obtaining his handwritten notes -- now part of the court record -- was itself a struggle. “Even after that was filed, to get his handwritten notes was a challenge,” she said.

Also read: Supreme Court adjourns to January 29 hearing on wife's plea challenging Sonam Wangchuk's detention

'An open and shut case,' she insists

From Angmo’s perspective, the law itself exposes serious flaws in the detention. Under the NSA, she explained, detainees must receive all material forming the grounds of detention within five, or at most ten, days.

“But these four videos were given to him on the 28th day, on October 23,” she said, calling it “a very big procedural lapse.” According to her, this delay alone should invalidate the detention order. “In a way, it is an open and shut case just on this alone,” she said, adding that it violates Section 8 of the Act.

She further argued that this delay prevented Wangchuk from defending himself properly. “Because he did not get these videos, he was denied a chance to make an effective representation,” she said, referring to Section 11 of the NSA.

Old material, weak links, and 'copy-paste' orders

Angmo also questioned the substance of the allegations. She claimed the grounds of detention are outdated, pointing out that some rely on videos that are “one and a half years old or one year old.”

Of the five FIRs cited, she said three do not even mention Wangchuk by name. The remaining two, she added, include one from August 2025 for which “no notice was given or inquiry made.”

She was particularly critical of the role of the district magistrate. According to her, the detention order appears to mirror the police proposal. “...the district magistrate should apply his mind and not just cut copy-paste whatever is given to him,” she was quoted to say, noting that courts have repeatedly ruled against such mechanical approvals.

Also read: Sonam Wangchuk detention: Climate activist's counsel Sibal tells Supreme Court 'DM failed to apply his mind'

Delays, disappointment, and muted voices

Angmo said she has been closely watching how institutions and society have responded -- and often feels let down. While she expressed gratitude to those who raised the issue in Parliament, including Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa, she noted that his “mic was muted” when he spoke.

“I am also a bit disappointed that it hasn't been raised to the extent that it should have been,” she said.

She also accused the government’s top law officer of stalling. “The Solicitor General of India… always keeps taking dates after dates, employing delay tactics,” she said, adding that this may be because “they have realised that there is no merit in the case.” Still, she acknowledged that hearings have been relatively quicker than in many other matters.

Institutions under strain, resolve intact

Beyond courtrooms, the impact has spilled into daily life and long-term plans. Angmo said new educational initiatives, including a teacher training fellowship and a school project, have been pushed back.

She also claimed some supporters have quietly told her “they are being pressured” to withdraw funding. Yet, she sees a small upside. “The silver lining is that a lot of people earlier used to tell me that people don't know about HIAL as much,” she said, adding that wider awareness may eventually translate into open support.

Also read: Sonam Wangchuk detention: Video played in Supreme Court; Sibal says 'speech was to stop violence'

A plea beyond politics

Reflecting on the past few months, Angmo said she feels society is becoming increasingly divided. “We are either belonging to this party or that,” she observed, urging people to think independently.

“My appeal to everybody would be to become a true citizen of independent India,” she said. “Let us not lose our wisdom and discernment and be swayed by narratives and party ideologies.”