New Delhi, Feb 26 — The Supreme Court of India on Thursday deferred to March 10 the hearing on a petition challenging the detention of Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act, 1980, saying it would first examine video recordings of his speeches placed on record by the Centre.
A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale said it would view the material during the Holi court recess and complete the hearing on March 10 before reserving its order.
“We wanted to see those pen drives. We have asked the Registrar (IT) to make arrangements during vacations,” the Bench said, adding, “We will finish the hearing on March 10.”
The petition has been filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, challenging his detention under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act, under which he has been in custody since September 26, 2025.
When the matter was first taken up, counsel appearing for the Centre sought an adjournment, stating that Tushar Mehta was engaged before another court. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, opposed the request, arguing that repeated adjournments could not be permitted and that the Centre should file written submissions.
The case was taken up again later in the afternoon, when the Solicitor General informed the court that a compact disc containing the relevant video material had been submitted. He said submissions would be advanced after the Bench viewed the recordings.
Recording the submission, the court posted the matter for hearing on March 10 and reiterated that it would watch the videos before proceeding further.
Earlier, the Bench had asked the Centre whether Wangchuk’s detention could be reconsidered in view of his health condition.
Wangchuk was detained two days after protests in Leh on September 24, 2025—over demands for statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule—turned violent, leaving four people dead and over 150 injured. The protests were followed by months of peaceful demonstrations and hunger strikes involving hundreds of residents.
The Centre and the Ladakh administration have justified the detention, claiming Wangchuk instigated violence in a sensitive border region. Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj has alleged that Wangchuk was responsible for the violence in which four persons were killed.
Wangchuk, however, has denied the allegations. On January 29, he said he had never called for the overthrow of the government and asserted his democratic right to criticise policies and protest peacefully.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court questioned the Centre over the accuracy of transcripts of the videos relied upon for his detention, observing that translations must be precise “in the age of Artificial Intelligence”.