The Supreme Court of India has questioned the central government's detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, asking whether authorities can reconsider the restrictions on health grounds as the 58-year-old's condition deteriorates.
Wangchuk, an engineer and education reformer who inspired the character Phunsukh Wangdu in the Bollywood film 3 Idiots, has been under preventive detention since leading a march demanding constitutional protections for Ladakh. The case has become a flashpoint in the debate over Ladakh's political autonomy and environmental future.
During a hearing this week, justices expressed concern about Wangchuk's deteriorating health after weeks of restricted movement and intermittent fasting. "Can the state not reconsider this detention, particularly given his medical condition?" Justice Surya Kant asked government lawyers, according to The Hindu.
The government defended the detention as necessary to maintain law and order, citing security concerns in the strategically sensitive region that borders both China and Pakistan. But civil liberties groups argue the detention violates constitutional guarantees of free speech and peaceful assembly.
Wangchuk's detention stems from his leadership of a peaceful march from Leh to Delhi that began in September 2025. The march demanded that Ladakh be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which would grant the region autonomy over land, resources, and cultural matters.
Ladakh, a high-altitude desert region of extraordinary beauty, was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 when the Modi government revoked that state's special constitutional status. The move, while welcomed by some Ladakhis who had long sought separation from Kashmir, came with a catch: Ladakh was designated a Union Territory directly governed by Delhi, not a state with its own legislature.
That decision has fueled growing discontent. Ladakh's 1.3 million people—roughly divided between Buddhist and Muslim communities—worry that direct rule from Delhi leaves them vulnerable to demographic changes, environmental degradation, and loss of cultural identity.
"We supported the separation from Kashmir because we thought we would get autonomy," said Chering Dorjay, a Buddhist leader from Leh, in a recent interview. "Instead, we got less power than before."
The environmental concerns are particularly acute. Ladakh is experiencing rapid glacial melt due to climate change, threatening water supplies for millions of people downstream. Local activists want power to regulate tourism, mining, and infrastructure projects that they say the central government approves without consulting local communities.
Wangchuk, who gained fame for developing innovative education methods and ice stupas to combat water scarcity, has become the face of this movement. His detention has drawn international attention, with human rights organizations calling for his immediate release.
"Detaining a peaceful activist for demanding constitutional rights sends a troubling signal," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "If India's democracy can't accommodate voices like Sonam Wangchuk, what does that say about space for dissent?"
The Modi government has a complicated relationship with Ladakh. Officials tout the region's development—new roads, airports, and investment in renewable energy. But critics note that development decided in New Delhi without local consultation isn't true empowerment.
The security argument for detention also faces scrutiny. While Ladakh is indeed strategically sensitive, particularly after deadly border clashes between Indian and Chinese forces in 2020, Wangchuk's movement has been explicitly peaceful and focused on constitutional demands, not separatism.
"There's no security threat here. This is about basic democratic rights," said Anuradha Bhasin, executive editor of the Kashmir Times, who has closely followed the situation. "The government is conflating legitimate protest with anti-national activity."
The Supreme Court has asked the government to file a detailed response on Wangchuk's health condition and the justification for continued detention. The case will be heard again next month.
For Wangchuk's supporters, the detention is about more than one activist. It reflects a pattern of the Modi government using security laws to silence environmental and civil rights activists—from tribal rights leaders in central India to farmers protesting agricultural reforms.
"They detained Sonam because he was winning," said Tashi Gyaltson, president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association. "People across India were listening to our demands. The government's response was to lock him up."
Ladakh's demands enjoy broad support across the region's religious divide—a rarity in India's often polarized politics. Both Buddhist and Muslim leaders have joined forces to demand Sixth Schedule protection, seeing it as essential to preserving their distinct cultures in the face of potential demographic change.
The central government has held multiple rounds of talks with Ladakhi leaders but has yet to make concrete commitments on autonomy. Meanwhile, Wangchuk remains detained, his health declining.
A billion people aren't a statistic—they're a billion stories. For Ladakh's 1.3 million people, Sonam Wangchuk's detention isn't just about one man. It's about whether their voices matter in their own homeland.
