The Union Home Ministry on Saturday revoked the detention of Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is demanding greater autonomy and climate protection within the Indian Constitution, under the National Security Act (NSA), citing the need to facilitate dialogue in the region.
wangchukThe 58-year-old has been lodged in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur Central Jail since September 26, 2025 – almost six months – when the ongoing protests in Ladakh turned violent in the union territory’s main city Leh. Where four people died and more than 160 people were injured.
This decision came as soon as the Supreme Court came on Saturday Hearing on the habeas corpus petition challenging his imprisonment.
The government had consistently said that he “instigated” the unrest. However, on Saturday it said there was a need to release him to ensure peace in Ladakh and end the “atmosphere of bandh and protests”.
Sajjad Kargili, leader of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) Which cooperates with Leh Apex Body (LAB) for Ladakh demandsresponded: “The revocation of the NSA against Mr. Sonam Wangchuk is a welcome step. However, our struggle for our legitimate rights continues.”
They demanded that activists Delden Namgyal and Smanla Dorje also be released and that “all charges against those detained on September 24 be unconditionally dropped”. his post on x.
What did the government say on the decision of release?
In a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau, the Home Ministry acknowledged that his continued detention is having a cascading effect on the civil society of Ladakh.
“The prevailing atmosphere of bandh and protests is detrimental to the peace-loving character of the society and has adversely impacted various sections of the community including students, job seekers, businesses, tour operators and tourists and the overall economy.” The ministry said.
The government said it was “committed to promoting an environment of peace, stability and mutual trust in Ladakh to facilitate constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders”.
The statement said Wangchuk has “already served almost half of the period of detention” under the Act – the NSA allows detention of up to 12 months – and reaffirmed its commitment to resolving Ladakh’s concerns “through constructive engagement and dialogue, including through the High Powered Committee mechanism as well as other appropriate platforms.”
what is nsa
The National Security Act, 1980, is a preventive detention law that empowers the central and state governments to detain a person without trial if authorities believe the person may act in a manner “prejudicial to the defense of India, India’s relations with foreign powers or the security of India”.
Unlike normal arrest, which requires criminal charges and trial, the NSA allows detention based solely on anticipated threat. This makes it one of the most comprehensive provisions in Indian law. The maximum period of detention is 12 months, although it can be revoked earlier, as has now happened in Wangchuk’s case.
What argument did the government give in the court on Wangchuk?
The government’s detention of Wangchuk was vigorously defended before the Supreme Court by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj during the several-month hearing.
The Center alleged that Wangchuk was directly responsible for the violence that broke out in Leh on September 24, 2025, in which, according to ASG Nataraj, four people were killed and 161 were injured.
The Center and Ladakh Union Territory administration told the court that Wangchuk was detained for inciting people in the sensitive border area, where regional sensitivities were involved.
The Center also alleged that Wangchuk tried to “instigate Gen Z” for the protests seen in Nepal and Bangladesh, referring to people above 20 years of age. It noted that Wangchuk had referred to an “Arab Spring-like” movement. SG Mehta had told the court that “there is a clear difference between Wangchuk’s speech and Gandhian principles – it is chalk and cheese”.
The government had also recently assured the court that there was nothing medically worrisome about Wangchuk’s condition. He was taken to AIIMS Jodhpur for testing in January.
What his wife Geetanjali said: ‘Don’t be afraid of peace’
Wangchuk’s wife, Dr Geetanjali Angmo, filed a habeas corpus petition under Article 32 of the Constitution before the Supreme Court, calling the detention illegal and unconstitutional.
The petition argued that the detention order was based on “old FIRs, vague allegations and speculation” and had no connection with the stated grounds of detention.
Angmo also alleged a “witch-hunt”, pointing out that in the period surrounding his arrest, the government had canceled the 40-year lease of his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, withdrawn his NGO’s funding license, launched a CBI investigation and issued income tax summons.
Angmo said Wangchuk had publicly condemned the violence through social media on September 24, 2025, describing it as the saddest day of his life. He had also said that the violence would end Ladakh’s five-year peaceful “tapasya” (struggle) for statehood and protection of the Sixth Schedule.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, arguing on behalf of Angmo, alleged that the police had relied on “borrowed, hand-picked videos” to mislead the detaining authority. He pointed out the discrepancies between the alleged “provocative” statements quoted in the detention order and the translated speeches placed before the court by the Centre.
The Supreme Court bench of Justices Arvind Kumar and PB Varale had to watch videos of Wangchuk’s speeches during the Holi holidays and Schedule to reserve orders on March 17th. The Centre’s decision came three days before that.
In a recent post, Geetanjali Angmo wrote that “Fear is not peace”. He said the government lawyer Claiming in the Supreme Court that Ladakh is peaceful after Wangchuk’s custody. “This couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said, dubbing it a “logical fallacy” because correlation does not require causation.
“Secondly, it was not peace that followed – it was fear that was created: curfew and internet blackout were imposed for weeks after September 24, over 100 youths were kept in jail for months (some are still inside), 4 youths were brutally shot dead by CRPF under government orders, social media posts to this day attract police summons and hours of interrogation,” she said.
“The eerie silence of the graveyard is no match for the sacred peace of the temple for which Ladakh was known!” Read his ex-post.
What are the demands at the center of Ladakh movement?
Even before the mostly youth-led protests in Leh last September turned violent, the Leh Apex Body, an independent organization leading the protests, had warned that public patience was wearing thin.
Their demands are not just about statehood, but mostly focus on preserving the unique character of the tribal area. Buddhist and Muslim bodies – LAB and KDA – representing the two major communities in Ladakh, have been together in this movement.
On September 10, 2025, a 35-day hunger strike was launched under the leadership of LAB.
Sonam Wangchuk’s ongoing strike was under its umbrella, although she later described the violence as meaningless and ended her strike in disgust.
LAB and KDA are in talks with the Home Ministry over their demands, for which they have been agitating for the last four years, when the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories, one being Jammu and Kashmir and the other being Ladakh.
Ladakh is a strategically important region for India as it borders China and has seen related tensions over the past few years.
Sonam Wangchuk had said that the BJP-led central government should keep its promise to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Although the demands have been there ever since Ladakh was made a Union Territory, it transformed into a significant movement in the year 2024.
The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir got an assembly and also got its first elected government since then. Ladakh remains more centrally administered.
When the rules governing land ownership by non-locals ended, along with the abrogation of Article 370 and the related special status of the undivided Jammu and Kashmir state, Ladakh also lost some of its security.
Since that move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP-led NDA government, people in Ladakh have united around a four-point agenda:
- Statehood for LadakhBecause UT status has not met their demands for self-governance and security
- Inclusion of Ladakh under Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, to protect our tribal status
- Establishment of a separate Public Service Commission For Ladakh, to address unemployment
- To give the Center more say, two parliamentary seats for Ladakh, whereas it currently has one seat
The Sixth Schedule provides greater autonomy to tribal areas like Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.
