New Delhi, 20 July (H.S.): Gitanjali Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has challenged the order of a single judge bench of the Delhi High Court that refused to grant relief on her plea seeking permission for Wangchuk to receive treatment from a hospital and doctor of his choice.

Justice Mini Pushkarna’s single bench had on July 19 declined to pass any order on Geetanjali’s petition. The court, however, directed the Centre to submit a status report regarding Sonam Wangchuk’s health condition.

During the hearing before the single bench, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Geetanjali Angmo, argued that Wangchuk had the right to seek medical treatment from a hospital and doctor chosen by him. The court questioned why there was any doubt over government doctors.

Sibal clarified that he was not questioning the capability of government doctors but only wanted Sonam Wangchuk and his family to have the option of consulting a doctor and hospital of their choice. He also alleged that police personnel had been deployed around Wangchuk and that his wife and family members were not being allowed to meet him and were being made to wait.

Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma said that the government was bound by its duty to protect an individual’s life and that there would be consequences if anything happened to Wangchuk. He stated that institutions such as AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital provide treatment to the President and other prominent personalities.

During the hearing, an AIIMS doctor present in court said that the issue was not about medical treatment but about trust. The doctor said that Wangchuk’s family appeared to have concerns about relying on government doctors. Sibal questioned the presence of police personnel, saying that Wangchuk’s blood pressure had increased and asked whether a police officer was treating the patient. Sharma rejected the allegation and said no police personnel were involved in his medical care.

During the proceedings, Gitanjali said that the family had sought a second opinion regarding potassium levels but was denied permission. She claimed that when samples were later requested, they were provided after 12 hours, by which time the laboratories had closed.

Responding to the allegations, Chetan Sharma said that the court was not a platform for activism. Geetanjali’s petition has sought Wangchuk’s immediate release from Safdarjung Hospital or his transfer to another medical facility. She has alleged that he has been kept in unlawful detention by being separated from his family, lawyers and personal doctors.

The petition claims that Delhi Police removed Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar on the morning of July 18 and shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital without his consent. It alleges that keeping him in the hospital without any criminal case being registered against him or any court order authorising his arrest or preventive detention is illegal.

According to the petition, Wangchuk is being kept under custody in the name of medical intervention and the action was taken only to remove him from a peaceful protest. It further claims that the Delhi Police acted under the cover of an earlier Delhi High Court order, which only directed authorities to keep monitoring Wangchuk’s health condition.

The petition also states that neither Sonam Wangchuk nor Gitanjali Angmo were made parties in the earlier proceedings before the High Court, and therefore, he cannot be kept in hospital continuously without his consent.

Sonam Wangchuk had been on a hunger strike since June 28, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged paper leaks in NEET and other examinations. Even after Wangchuk was removed from Jantar Mantar on July 18, the protest continued, with student leaders beginning a hunger strike, including former JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar