ON WEDNESDAY, THE WIFE OF SONAM WANGCHUK was provided with a copy of her husband’s detention order under the National Security Act (‘NSA’) of 1980. Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, shared this information in a post on X.
This development followed a hearing in the Supreme Court on a habeas corpus petition filed by Angmo against her husband’s detention.
During the hearing held on October 6, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, submitted that the grounds of detention should be provided to the petitioner. However, the Solicitor General argued that the grounds had already been shared with the detenue, Wangchuk. Sibal countered that it would be impossible for the wife to challenge the detention without access to the grounds.
The Supreme Court recorded in its order: “The learned Solicitor General submits that they will examine the feasibility of serving a copy of the detention order to the wife of the detenue, a copy of which has already been served on the detenue.”
Earlier, speaking to the media, Angmo said that when Wangchuk’s brother visited him at Jodhpur Jail, he could only see him through a glass partition. Thus, she said, it would not have been possible for Wangchuk to pass the grounds of detention to his brother, even if he had received them.
