Delhi Police cites medical advice and High Court directions in Sonam Wangchuk's hospitalisation

Tribune News Service, July 18, 2026, New Delhi : As Gitanjali Angmo questioned the circumstances surrounding the hospitalisation of her husband, activist Sonam Wangchuk, claiming that the Delhi High Court had only directed his regular health monitoring, the Delhi Police appeared to have interpreted the order differently.

Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for the last 20 days demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged nationwide examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak, was removed from the protest site at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Saturday morning.

“The (HC) order never mandated hospitalisation. It simply stated that an individual’s health is paramount and must be monitored at regular intervals; it did not order hospitalisation,” Angmo told reporters.

“So, this is not in accordance with the High Court order. No treatment is under way right now. Only observation and tests are being conducted, and we are actually going to get the tests done at an external lab,” she added.

In its July 16, 2026, order on a PIL filed by RK Saini, the Delhi High Court had said, “We only observe that life of every citizen is precious and all medical efforts ought to be made by the Government authorities to save the same.”

On behalf of the Union of India and the Delhi Government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had assured the High Court that, depending upon the opinion of doctors, whatever medical interventions were needed to check the deteriorating health condition of Wangchuk would be taken.

Appreciating the stance taken by the Solicitor General, the High Court directed “that medical condition of Shri Sonam Wangchuk shall, clinically and otherwise, be regularly monitored on daily basis and depending on the opinion of doctors whatever medical intervention is required to check his deteriorating health condition, shall also be taken.”

While the exact opinion given by doctors was not known, it appears that the Delhi Police interpreted the medical advice as the need for hospitalisation of Wangchuk in view of his deteriorating health condition.