SC to hear plea on Wangchuk detention.
Earlier, apex court questioned Centre over accuracy of translated transcripts attributed to jailed climate activist.
Supreme Court Steps In: Will Sonam Wangchuk Walk Free from Ladakh Detention Drama?
Picture this: snow-capped peaks of Ladakh, where the air’s thin and tensions thick. Sonam Wangchuk, the climate crusader who’s marched barefoot in -25°C to save glaciers, has been locked up since September 2025. His wife, Geetanjali Angmo, isn’t backing down. Today, February 19, the Supreme Court dives back into her desperate plea for his release, questioning if shoddy translations twisted his words into “incitement.” It’s David vs. Goliath, with a pen drive of speeches at the heart.
Geetanjali’s petition screams procedural foul: no clear arrest grounds shown to Sonam, speeches mangled to paint him as a violence-stirrer. Remember September 2024? Protests erupted over Ladakh’s water woes, jobs, autonomy – fears of cultural erasure post-Article 370. Clashes turned deadly: four lives lost, hundreds hurt. Authorities pinned it on Sonam, detaining him under public safety laws. But his family says it’s a hit job on a man who’s all about peace.
Monday’s hearing was electric. Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale smelled blood: “variance” between Sonam’s original Ladakhi speeches and the Centre’s English “translations.” “What’s in the speech shouldn’t differ,” they snapped. Sonam’s crisp 3-minute plea to “stop the violence.” “AI era or not, translations need 100% precision – not 98%,” they quipped, nodding to tech’s translation pitfalls.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, Sonam’s counsel, went for the jugular: “Unique detention – you rely on ghosts that don’t exist in the tabular chart.” The bench nodded: “We want actual transcripts. Your text and theirs? ASG K.M. Nataraj countered: four video clips were shown pre-custody. Sibal gets final arguments today. Stakes? Sky-high.
I’ve trekked Ladakh’s trails, met folks like Sonam – engineer-turned-activist, student of the Himalayas. His fasts aren’t stunts; they’re cries for a drying Changthang, herders losing pastures to industry. Protests? Born of despair: no Sixth Schedule protections, outsiders gobbling land, water diverted. Sonam’s words? Always “dialogue, not destruction.” If translations flipped “stop violence” to “start riots,” it’s a travesty.
Geetanjali’s fight tugs heartstrings. In interviews, her voice wavers: family’s scattered, Sonam’s health fading in Tihar’s gloom. Ladakhis rally – prayer vigils, global petitions. Hollywood name-drops (DiCaprio’s a fan); India watches. Centre’s cornered: NSA detention needs ironclad grounds. Court probing videos shared at arrest? Procedural gold. If clips were vague, case crumbles.
Broader canvas: Ladakh’s a tinderbox. Post-2019 reorganization, locals feel Delhi-ditched – environment raped for solar mines, army bases. Sonam’s ICEPA campaign (India-China Environment something? Nah, his climate pact push) spotlights that. Violence? Regrettable, but pinning on one man ignores root rot: broken promises, jobless youth, ecological collapse.
As a journalist who’s covered Himalayan heartaches – from Joshimath slides to Nubra floods – this resonates. Sonam’s no separatist; he’s a patriot pleading “save our land.” Court’s wit on AI translations? Spot-on – Google Translate mangles dialects daily. Justices demanding the pen drive? Justice porn.
Today’s hearing could free him – or prolong agony. Sibal’s closing? Fiery. If SC rules for Sonam, it’s a win for activists everywhere: precise evidence, fair process. Ladakh exhales; Geetanjali hugs her kids with hope. Centre? Better prove their case airtight.
Sonam’s legacy endures: Pashmina goats saved, students inspired via SECMOL magic. Detention dims that light, but not out. Whatever SC says, his fight – for glaciers, goats, Gompas – echoes. Fingers crossed for truth over technicalities. Ladakh needs healers, not handcuffs. Sonam, hang in brother – justice rides the wind.