During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Amit Sharma that Wangchuk’s decision to withdraw from the protest made the petition redundant.
Ladakh: A plea filed by Apex Body Leh seeking permission for Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk and others to protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi was withdrawn from the Delhi High Court on Tuesday(22nd Oct).
The withdrawal came a day after Wangchuk ended his latest hunger strike following the Ministry of Home Affairs’ announcement to resume dialogue with Ladakh activists.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Amit Sharma that Wangchuk’s decision to withdraw from the protest made the petition redundant.
“This development happened late last night, and we were prepared to submit a reply,” Mehta said.
The petitioners’ counsel also confirmed the withdrawal of the plea.
In the previous hearing, the Court had directed the Delhi Police to respond to the plea, which sought permission for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar.
The protest was initially planned from October 8 to 23, with activists having started their march from Leh on September 1 to highlight concerns over Ladakh’s “ecological and cultural collapse.”
The core demand of the protesters was to secure the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for autonomous governance in tribal areas to protect local rights and identity. Currently, the Sixth Schedule applies only to Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
However, on September 30, Wangchuk and others were detained near the Singhu Border upon approaching Delhi and later released. Their request to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar was denied by Delhi Police on October 5.
Challenging the denial, Apex Body Leh approached the High Court, arguing that the refusal infringed upon their fundamental rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution. The plea contended that instead of outright rejection, the police could have allowed the protest at an alternative location.
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