Delhi HC to Hear Pleas Challenging Detention of Ladakh Activists Including Sonam Wangchuk
Two petitions have been filed in the Delhi High Court challenging the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and several others at the Delhi border. The petitions, listed for hearing on October 3, 2024, question the legality of the police action and seek the release of those detained.
The first petition was filed by social activist Azad, who states he works closely with Wangchuk and the Leh Apex Body. The second petition was filed by lawyer Mustafa Haji, legal adviser to the body. Both petitions assail the Delhi Police order prohibiting the assembly of five or more “unauthorised” persons and protests in parts of the capital, including the border, from September 30 to October 5.
During court proceedings, lawyer Vikram Hegde mentioned Haji’s petition before the Chief Justice’s bench, requesting an urgent hearing. The bench declined to list the matter for the same day but agreed to hear it on October 3.
The petitions seek a court order directing the release of those detained and permission for the group to peacefully enter Delhi to raise their demands. Around 120 people from Ladakh, including Wangchuk, were reportedly detained by police while marching to the capital to demand Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh. The Sixth Schedule provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram as autonomous districts and regions.
Haji’s plea notes that the marchers included senior citizens and Army veterans and that they had peacefully marched through several states without incident. The plea states that upon reaching the Delhi border at Singhu, they were stopped by police and some persons, including Wangchuk, were detained. It demands permission for the group to enter Delhi peacefully to present their demands.
Azad’s plea contends that the petitioners were first stopped by Haryana Police, then handed over to Delhi Police, who took them into custody and detained them illegally for exercising a right guaranteed by the Constitution. The petitions invoke fundamental rights of peaceful assembly and movement.
