'Life is Precious': Delhi High Court Orders Government to Monitor Sonam Wangchuk's Health
New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Thursday (July 16) directed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led city and Union government to monitor climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's deteriorating health on a daily basis as his indefinite hunger strike – against the education ministry's repeated failures and government's ignorance in providing constitutional safeguards for Ladakh – enters its 19th day.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on Wangchuk's worsening health amid the centre's continued apathy, a Delhi high court division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia noted that the life of any citizen is precious and that every effort must be made to protect it. It ordered the government to provide all medical intervention to the activist as deemed necessary by doctors.
Also read: Sonam Wangchuk Does Not Deserve the Establishment's Silence
"We would like this person to be regularly medically checked by government doctors and, depending on the report of the doctors, if any medication is required, please intervene. Every life is precious," the bench said, as reported by LiveLaw.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Union and Delhi government, told the court that Wangchuk was already undergoing medical check-ups and that private doctors had examined him at times. He added that appropriate treatment would be provides as per the doctors' assessment.
The petition and Wangchuk's dwindling health
The PIL was filed by Rakesh Kumar Saini, an advocate, whose plea alleged that the government was treating the 59-year-old activist "like a terrorist" and appeared indifferent to his situation, the Indian Express reported.
Saini's petition, titled Rakesh Kumar Saini vs. Union of India & Anr, sought directions for the government to shift Wangchuk to a hospital and administer the requisite treatment, including force-feeding him a liquid diet of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
During the hearing, physician Satish Lamba provided an overview of Wangchuk's health, highlighting that he had lost over nine kgs since the beginning of the fast, bringing his weight down to 56.9 kg. His blood sugar reportedly stood at 80mg/dL. Lamba described his hydration as "fair," while saying he was mentally alert and stable.
Also read: Modi Govt's Silence on Wangchuk's Fast Reflects an Apathy Worse Than the British
However, Lamba also pointed how early signs of organ strain marked by elevated uric acid from muscle breakdown and warned of a possible and more serious stage involving organ dysfunction, for which his team was maintaining round-the-clock vigilance.
Wangchuk's message on X
In a video message posted on X before the hearing, Wangchuk pushed back on appeals to end his fast. He argued that breaking the protest now would only signal to the government that public resistance carries no real consequence.
He assured the public that his test results, including a same-day ECG report, remained largely normal despite losing muscle mass. He claimed he could continue with his strike for several more days, urging supporters to turn out in large numbers for the July 20 march to the parliament.
I’m Not in good shape but not so bad either...
Rather than asking me to break my fast please join me on 20th July... Peaceful March to the Parliament.#cockroachjanataparty #jantarmantar #cjpprotest #chalosansad pic.twitter.com/QZ6VyxVMAR— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) July 15, 2026
Wangchuk began his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on June 28. The protest is organised in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party, who is demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and Class 12 board answer sheets evaluation.
This article went live on July sixteenth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty-two minutes past one in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
