Sonam Wangchuk honoured by TIME as top global climate leader amid NSA detention row

Ladakh-based climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk was included in TIME magazine’s list of “The 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders of 2025”.

In its profile, the magazine described Wangchuk as an engineer, educator, and social reformer who has dedicated his life to sustainable innovation and environmental preservation in the Himalayan region.

Wangchuk, who was arrested last month during a protest demanding full statehood for Ladakh, has been working for over a decade to combine scientific methods into traditional ecological practices, including the creation of artificial glaciers to address water scarcity in high-altitude areas.

His recognition by TIME highlights his ongoing contribution to climate action and his efforts to blend indigenous knowledge with contemporary solutions for sustainable living.

His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, took to X and expressed the dissent regard his recent arrest, saying, “While his own Government is busy proclaiming Wangchuk an anti-national and a threat to national security under the NSA, the Time magazine is celebrating him as ‘the world’s most influential leaders driving business to real climate action’ in its 2025 TIME 100 Climate list! Congratulations.”

Notably, the Supreme Court of India heard the petition challenging the detention of Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) on Wednesday, and sought a response from Centre and Ladakh administration on the issue. 

The case, filed by Angmo, questioned the legality of his detention and the procedure followed by the authorities.

Earlier this month, a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria allowed Angmo to amend her writ petition after her counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, sought permission to include new details provided by the government.

Sibal informed the court that the Central government had since furnished the grounds of detention to Wangchuk, necessitating modifications to the original plea. “I’ll amend the petition so that the matter can continue here,” he said. Following this, the court listed the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.

The petition, filed before the Supreme Court, originally contended that the authorities had failed to furnish the grounds of detention as required under Section 8 of the NSA, which mandates that detainees must be informed of the reasons for their detention within a stipulated time. However, the Leh administration, in its affidavit filed through District Magistrate Romil Singh Donk, claimed that the grounds were duly communicated to the detainee within the prescribed period.

Meanwhile, the Advisory Board constituted under the NSA recently reviewed Wangchuk’s detention. The three-member panel, comprising former judge M.K. Hujura (Chairman), District Judge Manoj Parihar, and social activist Spal Jayesh Angmo, held a three-hour closed-door hearing at Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan. Wangchuk and his wife were both present during the proceedings.

The hearing reportedly focussed on the administration’s justification for invoking the NSA and on Wangchuk’s representation, which challenged the same.

Sonam Wangchuk, celebrated for his sustainable innovations and environmental activism in Ladakh, was detained under the NSA, a move that sparked nationwide protests and drew criticism from civil rights groups, who called his detention arbitrary and unjustified.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)