Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A bench of Justices Arvind Kumar and NV Anjaria asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Center and the Union Territory of Ladakh, to file a reply on the amended petition and listed the matter for hearing on November 24.
The bench also allowed senior advocate Kapil Sibal to file a reply, if any.
On October 15, the top court postponed the hearing on Angmo’s plea as he sought to file an amended petition with additional grounds to challenge the custody of Wangchuk, who is currently lodged in the Central Jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
It said that an affidavit filed by the jailer of Jodhpur jail said that Wangchuk’s elder brother and lawyer had met the detainee.
Earlier, Sibal had requested the court to allow Wangchuk to exchange some notes with his wife.
The top court took note of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s submission that he had no problem with the detainee sharing the notes with his wife.
The apex court had issued a notice to the Center and the Union Territory of Ladakh on October 6. However, it refused to pass any order on his plea providing grounds for his detention.
Wangchuk was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, two days after violent protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh left four people dead and 90 injured in the union territory. The government had accused him of inciting violence.
The NSA empowers the Center and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defense of India”. The maximum detention period is 12 months, although it can be canceled earlier.