New Delhi, Feb 2 — The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk had instigated young people to adopt protest methods inspired by upheavals in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Arab Spring if demands for Sixth Schedule protection were not met.
Appearing before a bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice P B Varale, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Wangchuk’s speech was framed in Gandhian language to mask what he termed its “inflammatory” message.
“This is an invitation to indulge in a kind of civil war with blood bath, giving an example of the Arab Uprising. He is instigating impressionable youth to resort to this,” Mehta told the court.
The Arab Spring refers to a wave of anti-government protests and violence that spread across West Asia and North Africa between 2010 and 2018.
Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, 2025, two days after protests in Ladakh over statehood and Sixth Schedule status turned violent, leaving four people dead and nearly 100 injured. He has since been lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail.
Earlier, Wangchuk had denied calling for the overthrow of the government, asserting his democratic right to protest and criticise. His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, has challenged the detention, calling it “illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional”, and alleging violations of fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19, 21 and 22 of the Constitution.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Angmo, had told the court that authorities relied on a “selective” video clip to justify the detention.
“He does not say he will overthrow the government like the Arab Spring. I will provide the full transcription,” Sibal had argued last week.
On Monday, Mehta countered that the scope of judicial review in preventive detention cases was limited.
“The court can only examine whether the procedure was followed. It cannot go into whether the detention was justified,” he said.
The hearing will continue on Tuesday.
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