New Delhi, February 26 HIAL co-founder Gitanjali J Angmo said on Thursday that while there were several "procedural lapses" in the case against her husband and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, she had faith in the judiciary.
Speaking to the media at the Supreme Court complex after the court adjourned the hearing on a plea filed by her challenging Wangchuk's detention under the National Security Act (NSA) to March 10, Angmo asserted that she and her husband believed in 'Satyamev Jayate', and hoped for "a resolution".
Adjourning the hearing, a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale said it would review the videos of Wangchuk's speeches given to it during the Holi vacation.
Asked about the ongoing hearing, Angmo claimed there was a delay in providing the detention order as well as the related material, which itself was sufficient grounds to dismiss the case.
Wangchuk has been booked under the NSA for his alleged role in the violence in Leh on September 24 last year, which resulted in the death of four people and the injury of 161 others.
The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "detrimental to India's defence". The maximum detention period is 12 months, although it can be revoked earlier.
"Four letters have been written by Sonam stating that I do not have any videos. That is why I am unable to make a representation, and because of that, Sonam had to make two representations... So, according to Section 8, this is one ground that is sufficient to quash the NSA," claimed Angmo, co-founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL).
"Earlier, they said there was a four-hour videography in which all the videos were shown to Sonam on the 29th (September), when they were given the detention order.
"But later they said it was only 40 minutes, not four hours. Those videos were given to the Supreme Court last week, but we have hardly seen one or two minutes… The police only showed us the list of the videos," she said.
Angmo claimed that the detention order relied on these videos, which constituted a major procedural lapse.
Angmo also claimed that the detention order was a "cut, copy-paste" of the SSP's recommendation "paragraph by paragraph", which was also a procedural lapse that the court has taken cognizance of.
"The FIRs on whose basis the detention was effected were stale, and secondly, Sonam's name was not mentioned in any of them," she said.
Angmo added that she had faith in the judiciary and hoped that an order would be given in the next hearing on March 10.
"We genuinely believe in the motto, Satyamev Jayate, taken from our Upanishads. The truth will triumph.
This case is also proof that there have been many lapses on the part of the government," she claimed.
"We have pointed out in the writ petition that the Supreme Court and the judges have listened to this hearing very patiently. While there have been delays, what I heard is that this matter was taken up promptly because it was a habeas corpus plea," she said.
"So, now the judges at least have all the facts. I think March 10 will be the final hearing, and hopefully the matter will be closed," Angmo said.
She also said that Wangchuk suffered a gastrointestinal infection in the Jodhpur jail where he is currently lodged, but is better now.
"Both Sonam and I believe that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. So, never lose hope, positivity, or resilience. This country is destined to become a great nation," she said.