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Activist Sonam Wangchuk released as Centre revokes NSA
In a statement, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said it had decided to end Sonam Wangchuk’s detention “with immediate effect” after “due consideration”.
New Delhi: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur Jail on Saturday after the Centre revoked his detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), six months after he was held following violence in Ladakh last September.
In a statement issued in the morning, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said it had decided to end Wangchuk’s detention “with immediate effect” after “due consideration”.
“The government remains committed to fostering an environment of peace, stability and mutual trust in Ladakh… In furtherance of this objective…the government has decided to revoke the detention of Sonam Wangchuk with immediate effect,” it said.
Officials in Jodhpur confirmed that the 59-year-old was released in the afternoon. “He was released from jail at about 1.30 PM today [Saturday] following an order from the central government,” news agency PTI quoted Ratanada SHO Dinesh Lakhawat as saying.
The Centre’s detention was challenged in the Supreme Court through a petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo. On February 16, the bench questioned the Union government about the veracity of the translated versions of Wangchuk's speeches and ordered that the original pendrive supplied to him on his arrest in September 2025 be produced in court.
Earlier, the court reviewed Wangchuk’s medical report and asked the Centre whether it would not extend his detention. The Centre, however, said releasing Wangchuk was neither desirable nor possible. The next hearing date was set for March 17.
Wangchuk was held on September 26, two days after protests demanding greater autonomy for Ladakh turned violent, claiming four lives and injuring dozens. The Union government had blamed Wangchuk, a 2018 Magsaysay Award winner and a leading figure in the Ladakh statehood movement, for provoking the clashes.
NSA empowers both central and state governments to detain individuals without formal charges if they are deemed to be acting in a manner prejudicial to national security, foreign relations, public order, or the maintenance of essential services. Detention can occur even in the absence of a trial and may last up to 12 months before review.
In its statement on Saturday, the Union home ministry added that it had been engaging with stakeholders and community leaders to address the aspirations of the region's people.
“However, the prevailing atmosphere of bandhs and protests has been detrimental to the peace-loving character of the society and has adversely affected various sections of the community…,” the statement said.
Reiterating its commitment to providing all necessary safeguards for Ladakh, the government said it “remained hopeful that issues concerning the region” would be “resolved through constructive engagement and dialogue”, including via the High-Powered Committee constituted to address local concerns.
The UT of Ladakh was created on August 5, 2019, after the Centre effectively abrogated Article 370, which had bestowed special status on Jammu & Kashmir, and split the erstwhile state into two UTs – J&K with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one. Since then, a string of protests has rocked Ladakh and had echoes in Delhi. In February 2024, thousands protested in Delhi, Leh and other parts of Ladakh, demanding statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), leading the agitation for Ladakh’s statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, termed Wangchuk’s release a “big victory” for the people of Ladakh.
“This is not just about Wangchuk but about the whole of Ladakh. We had maintained from the start that the allegations against him were baseless. Today, Ladakh stands vindicated,” LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey said.
