Sonam tried to instigate Gen Z for protests like Nepal, Bangladesh: Centre to Top Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court was told on Monday that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail under the National Security Act, had attempted to mobilise “Generation Z” for street agitations on the pattern of mass uprisings seen in Nepal, Bangladesh and parts of the Arab world.

Appearing before a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P V Varale, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that Wangchuk’s public speeches were not benign expressions of dissent but were “carefully crafted” to provoke unrest, particularly among young people. He told the court that the activist had even invoked the “Arab Spring”, a series of protests that resulted in the overthrow of several governments in West Asia and North Africa.

“He carefully crafted his speech to instigate Gen Z and asked for agitations like in Nepal and Bangladesh and used speeches of Mahatma Gandhi to cover the real intention,” Mehta submitted.

The hearing took place on a petition filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife, challenging his preventive detention under the NSA. The law allows the Centre and state governments to detain individuals for up to 12 months to prevent actions deemed “prejudicial to the defence of India”, though such orders can be revoked earlier.

Mehta contended that Wangchuk’s rhetoric created a divide between Ladakh and the rest of the country. He told the bench that the activist had referred to the central government as “them” and to the people of Ladakh as “us”, while also calling for a “plebiscite” and “referendum”, demands previously associated with Jammu and Kashmir.

“There is no them or us but we are all Indians. Ladakh is a place which shares borders with two countries, China and Pakistan. The area is very fragile,” Mehta said, adding that the region is critical for supply routes used by security forces deployed along the frontiers.

The solicitor general maintained that the district magistrate who ordered Wangchuk’s detention had acted after examining relevant materials, including video recordings of his speeches. According to Mehta, a senior police officer of DIG rank spent four hours explaining the grounds of detention to Wangchuk and showing him the footage before the order was executed.

Rejecting claims that the magistrate relied on “borrowed material”, Mehta argued that it was neither necessary nor practical for the official to personally attend every event where Wangchuk spoke. He said recordings made by officials who were present were sufficient for a legally valid decision.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, disputed this account, asserting that the authorities had used selective videos to mislead the detaining authority. The court did not conclude arguments and scheduled the matter for further hearing on Tuesday.

On January 29, Wangchuk publicly denied allegations that he sought to overthrow the government in an “Arab Spring” style movement, stating that he was exercising his democratic right to criticise and protest.

Wangchuk was detained on September 26 last year, two days after violent clashes in Leh during protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh. The unrest left four people dead and around 90 injured. The administration has accused him of inciting the violence, a charge his wife has rejected.

In an amended plea, Angmo described the detention as based on “stale FIRs, vague imputations and speculative assertions”, lacking any “live or proximate connection” to the grounds cited by the government. She termed it a “gross abuse of authority” that undermines constitutional liberties and due process.

The petition further stated that it was “wholly preposterous” for the state to target Wangchuk after more than three decades of recognition at the state, national and international levels for his work in grassroots education, innovation and environmental conservation in Ladakh and beyond.

Angmo also told the court that the violence in Leh on September 24 could not be attributed to Wangchuk’s actions or statements. She said he had condemned the incidents on social media, warning that violence would derail Ladakh’s five-year-long peaceful movement, and described that day as the saddest of his life.