Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Senior Advocate Vikas Singh today appealed to activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike, saying that the country needed him "alive, working, and leading us from the front."

Singh, who visited Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with his ongoing protest, also addressed an open letter to the activist, urging him to conserve his strength for the struggles ahead.

Singh said India did not need Wangchuk to die for a broken system but needed him to continue leading from the front. "We need you to be alive, working, and leading us from the front. Shaking the conscience of this country is a very long journey, and it requires time, which means it requires you to be here with us," he wrote.

Praising Wangchuk's work, Singh said his strength had never come from "begging people in power" but from working on the ground and bringing about change through action. Referring to his contribution to education, Singh said Wangchuk had transformed lives by inspiring students whom others had given up on and by demonstrating discipline, innovation and empathy.

Singh also criticised the government, saying the time when ministers accepted moral responsibility and resigned over failures had passed.

“Gone are the days when leaders or ministers accepted moral responsibility and stepped down when lives were gravely affected by actions taken under their watch. Their role becomes even more suspect when a person of your integrity is willing to place their own life at risk for the betterment of the education system, and their conscience is not moved. Politics has changed. Look at what is happening around us. We see massive institutional failures and broken systems ruining millions of young lives, yet those in power look at this severe wrongdoing and feel absolutely no shame or responsibility. Moral fiber of today's politicians is vastly diminishing, and the same is also exhibited by the number of people with serious criminal cases being elected as Members of Parliament. To expect a politician of today to have a conscience is unthinkable”, he wrote.

He added that governments and politicians would come and go, but Wangchuk's work would outlive them. “Governments will come and go, and politicians will be forgotten, but the work you do with your own hands will outlive them all. Work is our only true worship. Change starts with all of us, by quietly serving the nation in our own respective fields. If you lead the way by building the future, others will eventually follow”, he said.

He further said Wangchuk's fast had stirred the nation's conscience and urged him to save his strength.

“You have stirred the nation by your fast. You have awakened the national conscience, and it is only because of which an apolitical person like me is addressing this request to you. Please, save your strength for the long road ahead. End this fast, go back to the work you are best at, and trust that your idea of India is always in my prayers”, he said.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar since June 28, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak. On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to ensure his daily clinical monitoring and to provide any medical intervention required in view of his deteriorating health.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal has also urged Wangchuk to call off his hunger strike, saying that while many stood in support of his protest, there were "many more battles" ahead and that the activist's leadership would be needed for future struggles.