Delhi HC to hear plea seeking directions to hospitalise Sonam Wangchuk tomorrow

THe new delhi heights margaret court on midweek listed a petition seeking directions to hospitalise activistic Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for 17 days, and force-feed him, for hearing on Thursday. It sought the presence of the law officers from the Union and Delhi governments for the hearing.Wangchuk’s strike is part of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s protest demanding Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the alleged irregularities in the examination system.The court noted the urgency of the matter while listing it for hearing. “Heard the petitioner who appears in person. Having regard to the urgency, list/put up tomorrow [Thursday]. Let a copy of this order be served upon the additional solicitor general (ASG) and the standing counsel representing the Delhi government (civil),” said a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.Advocate Rakesh Kumar Saini moved the court, saying that Wangchuk’s health has deteriorated significantly and he has lost 8.5 kg. He said his life could be at risk within the next two days if the fast continues. “If he passes away, it would be a matter of great shame for the country and the world,” Saini’s plea said.The petition said that no government official had engaged with the protesters over the past 20 days to discuss their demands and that Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike since June 28. The plea alleged that the government was treating him “like a hardcore criminal, terrorist or traitor to the nation” and displayed a lack of empathy.Opposition leaders and over 1,800 members of civil society, including academics, artists and activists such as Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Arundhati Roy, Nivedita Menon, Jean Drèze, Lalita Ramdas and Kavita Srivastava, wrote a letter on Tuesday, urging Wangchuk to end his hunger strike.“His life is invaluable to the entire world because it embodies a commitment to humanity and the environment that is as profound as his commitment to democracy,” Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a post on X.The CJP has been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since June 20. It emerged amid controversy surrounding remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant during a hearing on conferring the “senior” designation on lawyers. The CJI allegedly referred to “youngsters” as “cockroaches” and “parasites”. He later clarified that he had been misquoted and that the remarks were directed at individuals entering the legal profession with “fake and bogus degrees”.