Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk appeared before the Supreme Court on January 12, 2026, to contest his detention under the National Security Act. He was detained on September 26 last year after protests for Ladakh’s statehood turned violent and caused deaths. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Wangchuk and his wife Gitanjali Angmo, argued that the detention order was a “copy-paste” of the authorities’ custody request and lacked independent assessment. Sibal said, "Application of mind by the detaining authority should be independent of the material provided to it by the authorities proposing it." Justice P.B. Varale agreed that repeating grounds does not satisfy legal requirements for detention. Sibal pointed out that the detention referenced events as old as March and May 2024 to justify Wangchuk’s arrest in September 2025. He also argued Wangchuk’s calls for peace were wrongly shown as calls for violence. The lawyer challenged Section 5A of the National Security Act, which allows a detention order to stand even if many grounds are vague or invalid. Sibal said this makes detention "all-pervasive" and violates detainees’ constitutional rights, including the right to be notified of reasons and to present a defense as per Article 22(5). Wangchuk was moved to Jodhpur Central Jail shortly after arrest. Previously, Sibal showed videos proving Wangchuk’s peaceful intentions were ignored by authorities. He said this indicates "deliberate malice" behind the detention.