New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Centre to ensure all necessary medical intervention to protect the life of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has entered the 19th day of his indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
A bench of the Delhi High Court observed that every citizen’s life is precious and ordered the authorities to take whatever medical steps were necessary to safeguard Wangchuk’s health.
“We note that the life of any citizen is precious and all efforts ought to be made by authorities to save the same,” the court reportedly observed while hearing a public interest litigation seeking urgent intervention.
The petition, filed a day earlier, claimed that the 59-year-old activist had lost around 8.5 kg during the fast and warned that he might not survive beyond 48 hours if he continued without medical intervention. It sought directions for the government to shift Wangchuk to a hospital and provide essential nutrition through medical supervision.
During the hearing, the court reportedly questioned the Centre over the absence of continuous monitoring by government doctors. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that Wangchuk was undergoing daily medical examinations, although some of the doctors conducting the check-ups were from private hospitals.
The bench then directed that Wangchuk should undergo regular daily medical examinations by government doctors and that authorities should immediately provide treatment or medication whenever required based on their assessment.
According to media reports, the court stressed that preserving life should remain the foremost priority and instructed the authorities to intervene promptly whenever Wangchuk’s medical condition warranted it.
Hours before the hearing, Wangchuk released a video message saying his condition remained stable for someone observing a prolonged fast. However, he ruled out ending his hunger strike without a response from the government, saying doing so would send the “wrong message.”
He instead appealed to supporters, particularly students, to participate in a protest planned by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20, saying the issue should be taken up with Members of Parliament.
The CJP, led by Abhijeet Dipke, has been spearheading protests demanding the resignation or removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged question paper leaks in several competitive examinations, including NEET-UG.
