Jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Wednesday claimed in the Supreme Court that multiple criminal cases and income tax raids had been initiated against him in a "calculated attempt" to silence dissent.

Wangchuk reiterated that he had adopted Gandhian methods to achieve the objective of facilitating Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to protect its rich cultural, ethnic and ecological beauty.

The amended plea filed by Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali Angmo said the allegation of the activist's involvement in activities prejudicial to the security of the State was utterly "baseless, misconceived and devoid of any material".

"On the contrary, Wangchuk has made significant contributions in support of national security and the Armed Forces... His work has been directed towards assisting and strengthening the capabilities of the Indian security forces, not undermining them in any manner," Angmo stated.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria asked the Centre and Ladakh administration to file their response to the affidavit and posted the matter for hearing after 10 days.

The Centre had earlier justified Wangchuk’s detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), saying his acts were “prejudicial to the security of the State and maintenance of public order”. It had also submitted that Wangchuk was in perfect health in Jodhpur Central Jail.

Wangchuk was arrested and detained under the NSA on September 26, following the massive unrest in Leh in the wake of violent demonstrations demanding the extension of protections under the Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh. Four people were killed in the violence and around 85 injured.

Angmo had then filed a habeas corpus petition for Wangchuk's production and release, based on which the top court had issued notices to the authorities on October 6. The court had also permitted his Angmo to file an amended petition.

Wangchuk had denied calling for an uprising along the lines of the agitations in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He said he had called for a peaceful demonstration "where we starve ourselves to bring change but not bother anyone else and make Ladakh an example for other countries also”.

The affidavit alleged that the references to Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had been completely misconstrued. The grounds of detention under the NSA stem “either from a clear misunderstanding arising out of language nuances or from a deliberate and selective lifting of a single line from a longer speech, with the apparent intention of maliciously detaining Sonam Wangchuk”, Angmo's petition stated.

According to Angmo, such allegations surfaced for the first time in August and September, which resulted in notices and actions against Wangchuk's institutions, including cancellation of land leases, CBI probe, FCRA cancellation and tax summons.

"The fact that all of these actions suddenly arose just two months before the LAHDC (Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council), Leh, elections, scheduled for October 2025 and at a time when he publicly raised the issue of fulfilling the Sixth Schedule promises made during the 2020 elections, prima facie reveals a malicious intent on the part of the detaining authority,” the petition said.

"These coordinated actions, taken in close temporal proximity, make it prima facie evident that the order of detention is not based on genuine concerns of public order or security but is instead a calculated attempt to silence a respected citizen exercising his democratic and constitutional right to dissent,” it added.