Climate activist and Ladakhi innovator Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and held at Jodhpur Central Jail, Rajasthan, in a case that attracted significant constitutional and political attention in October 2025. The NSA was invoked against him on September 26, 2025, following his sustained campaign demanding the full implementation of the Sixth Schedule provisions for Ladakh, statehood for the Union Territory, and protection of land and employment rights for local residents.
The NSA, enacted in 1980, allows preventive detention of individuals for up to 12 months without trial, when authorities determine that their activities are prejudicial to national security or public order. Wangchuk's detention was classified under grounds of public order disturbance — a classification contested by his legal team.
Wangchuk's supporters and civil society organizations alleged that he was placed in solitary confinement during portions of his detention at Jodhpur Central Jail, a claim the authorities did not confirm. The Supreme Court of India took up the matter during hearings held between October 14 and 18, 2025, examining whether the procedural requirements for NSA detention — including timely communication of grounds and access to legal counsel — were satisfied.
The case drew attention to the constitutional tension between the executive's preventive detention powers under Article 22 of the Indian Constitution and fundamental rights under Article 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and Article 21 (right to life and liberty). Critics noted that invoking NSA against a peaceful civic activist set a concerning precedent for civil liberties.
Wangchuk, who gained international recognition for his ice stupa innovation and inspired the film "3 Idiots," had been on a fast-unto-death hunger strike to highlight Ladakh's demand for constitutional safeguards before his detention. On March 14, 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked the detention with immediate effect.