Delhi High Court To Hear PIL On Sonam Wangchuk’s Health On Thursday

NEW DELHI, July 15: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it will hear on Thursday a public interest litigation (PIL) expressing concern over the deteriorating health of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar. A Bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia deferred the hearing after noting that no counsel appeared for the authorities due to the ongoing work abstention by the Delhi High Court Bar Association. Observing the urgency of the matter, the Bench directed that the case be listed for hearing on Thursday and ordered that copies of its order be served on the Additional Solicitor General concerned and the Delhi Government’s counsel. The PIL, filed by Rakesh Kumar Saini, urged the court to direct the authorities to intervene, engage in dialogue with Wangchuk and take immediate steps to protect his health. The petitioner described the situation as “most unfortunate”, stating that a protesting citizen was “virtually taking his life in front of the whole nation.” The petition also seeks directions for appropriate medical intervention, including force-feeding the activist if deemed necessary. Wangchuk joined the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar on June 28 and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then. The party has been protesting for over 25 days, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.