'Nothing Left To Decide' : Supreme Court Disposes Plea Challenging Sonam Wangchuk's Detention Noting His Release
Gursimran Kaur Bakshi
23 March 2026 2:08 PM IST
The Supreme Court today disposed of the habeas corpus petition filed by Dr Gitanjali Angmo challenging the detention of Ladakh activist and her husband Sonam Wangchuk's detention under the National Security Act(NSA) as illegal.
A bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice PB Varale noted that the Union Government on March 14 revoked the detention, and the petition therefore has become infructuous. The bench orally observed that there was nothing left in the matter to decide.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, for the petitioner, initially sought the posting of the matter after vacation.
"No, what is left (to decide)?" the bench asked. Though Sibal pressed for a hearing on the merits of the detention order, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said, "I would request Mr.Sibal, let it be."
The bench then proceeded to dispose of the matter as infructuous.
The Centre revoked the detention, noting that Wangchuk had already undergone nearly half of the maximum period of preventive detention under the NSA.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, Angmo's lawyer, had challenged the detention, inter-alia, on the ground that all relevant materials, which formed the basis of detention, were not supplied to him. There was a dispute as to whether videos of the speeches, which the administration had claimed were inflammatory, were given to Wanghchuk. While the administration claimed that they had given a pendrive containing the videos to Wangchuk, the Court asked if he actually had an opportunity to watch them.
The Court also remarked during the hearing that the administration was "reading too much into" the speeches of Wangchuk. The bench also flagged certain discrepancies in the translations of the speeches after which, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta wanted to address the Court. Since then, the matter was adjourned from time to time before the Centre revoked the detention.
Case Details: GITANJALI J. ANGMO v UNION OF INDIA AND ORS|W.P.(Crl.) No. 399/2025
The writ petition has been filed by Advocate on Record, Dr Sarvam Ritam Khare
Also Read: How Supreme Court Dealt With Sonam Wangchuk's Detention: A Look At Questions Posed During Hearing