The Delhi High Court on Sunday refused to pass any interim order directing the discharge or transfer of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital, allowing him to remain under medical care at the government facility despite strong objections from the activist and his wife.
Justice Mini Pushkarna heard an urgent plea filed by Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife, who challenged his continued hospitalisation and sought permission to shift him to a private hospital of the family’s choice. The court held that the government’s decision to move Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital following his removal from a hunger strike protest was not arbitrary and was based on medical concerns regarding his health.
The bench declined immediate relief, stating that decisions on his treatment and stay would continue to be guided by the medical team attending to him. This comes a day after Delhi Police shifted the Ladakh activist from Jantar Mantar on July 18 amid his 21 day indefinite fast protesting issues in the education system including several paper leaks in competitive exams in this year alone.
After hearing submissions from both sides, the court refused interim relief, noting that such a direction was not warranted at this stage. The bench emphasised that the government’s move to hospitalise Wangchuk following his removal from Jantar Mantar was based on medical advice and a prior court order. It further left the final decisions regarding his treatment and possible shift to the discretion of the treating doctors. The court, however, directed the authorities to file a fresh status report on Wangchuk’s health condition within three days and scheduled the next hearing for July 24.
During the proceedings, exchanges highlighted the tensions in the case. Angmo’s side stressed the importance of family consent and questioned the manner in which Wangchuk was removed from the protest site. The government counsel defended the hospitalisation as a necessary step to protect the activist’s life, with one submission reportedly underlining that “this is not an activist platform. This is a court of law.” Wangchuk will therefore continue to remain there for now, even as he and his family have strongly opposed the continued detention at the government facility. He has described the situation in a handwritten note as “illegal detention.”
In a series of posts on ‘X’, Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo expressed deep dissatisfaction with the handling of her husband’s medical care at Safdarjung Hospital. She alleged a lack of transparency regarding key health parameters, particularly potassium levels. According to her, hospital officials had informed the family that Wangchuk’s potassium had dropped to 2.9, describing the situation as alarming and potentially life-threatening. However, the public health bulletin issued by the hospital only made a general reference to “decreasing potassium levels” without disclosing the exact figure.
Angmo further claimed that after nearly 10 to 12 hours of repeated requests, the family was allowed to arrange an independent laboratory test late in the evening, which reportedly showed a potassium level of 3.5 - within the normal range. She stated that these inconsistencies had led her to “lose faith” in the hospital and reinforced the family’s demand to shift him elsewhere. The hospital has pushed back against these claims, asserting that Wangchuk is stable and receiving proper medical supervision. The court’s decision comes amid growing public attention to the case, with Wangchuk’s supporters along with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) planning a major march to Parliament on July 20, which he has described in his note as part of “India’s second freedom movement” for justice in the education system and freedom from fear.
