Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J. Angmo has moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest and seeking his release. The climate activist has been lodged in the Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan since he was taken into custody following the September 24 violent Ladakh clashes.
According to official records, Angmo filed her plea at the top court on October 2, Thursday.
She has also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the release of her husband.
She also addressed her letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Kavinder Gupta, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and also the Leh District Collector, which she published on X as well.
Sonam Wangchuk arrested
Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act NSA on September 26 and shifted to Jodhpur jail shortly after.
The arrest happened following violence in Leh during protests, which claimed the lives of at least four people. The restrictions under section 163 of BNSS, which were imposed in the region, were eased for a few hours on Tuesday, allowing people to buy essential items.
The protesters have been demanding inclusion of the region in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. A total of 44 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.
Gitanjali Angmo’s letter
In her letter to the President, Prime Minister and other ministers and officials, Angmo alleged that a “full-scale witch hunt has been unleashed” against her husband to kill the spirit of Sonam wangchuk over the past month.
Mentioning the requests to the PM, President and HM Shah, Angmo questioned, “Am I not entitled to meet and speak with my husband on the phone and in person wherever he is detained?”
Angma further questioned, “Can I not be of assistance to my husband to know his ground of detention and to espouse his legal rights of seeking justice before the court of law? Am I not entitled to know the condition of my husband, who has been in detention since 26 September 2025, with no communication with me or anyone else close to us? As a responsible citizen of India, are we not entitled to peaceful freedom of expression and movement?”.
Reiterating that she has not been able to meet her husband despite assurances from officials, Angmo highlighted the message she allegedly received from the police, stating that she would be contacted as soon as Wangchuk reaches Jodhpur jail, which has not yet occurred.
(With agency inputs)