New Delhi: In a significant development amid the ongoing protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday permitted activist Sonam Wangchuk to be shifted from Safdarjung Hospital to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, observing that his concerns over treatment could not be ignored.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed that Wangchuk be immediately transferred to the private hospital of his choice and said a team of competent doctors would continue to monitor his health. The court observed that the move was necessary to protect his fundamental rights.
The order came on an appeal filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, challenging an earlier order of a single-judge Bench that had declined immediate relief. Soon after the verdict, Angmo thanked the Delhi High Court in a post on X, saying she was grateful that her husband would now receive treatment at the hospital chosen by the family.
Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike as part of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) agitation demanding accountability over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. He was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital by Delhi Police after his health deteriorated during the fast and has maintained that he was being kept there against his wishes.
The High Court’s order came a day after thousands of students and youth supporters participating in the CJP’s “Sansad Chalo” march were dispersed by Delhi Police using lathi-charge and tear gas after protesters attempted to march towards Parliament despite prohibitory orders. According to media reports, scores of protesters were injured during the crackdown, while Delhi Police said more than 100 of its personnel were also injured in the violence.
The police action has triggered a sharp political confrontation, with the Congress accusing the Centre of suppressing peaceful student protests.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over the incident and demanded that he apologise to the injured students.
“Why is the Prime Minister silent? He hasn’t even apologised to the students who were beaten by the police. He should speak up and end this nonsense,” Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with Opposition MPs and sought a detailed discussion in Parliament on the police action and the examination crisis. In a post on X, he said Parliament must debate what he described as the “brutality unleashed on students” and the government’s “complete lack of accountability” over repeated examination irregularities.
Later, Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited students injured in Monday’s police action at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital.
Escalating its protest, the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi, marched from Kharge’s residence towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence, demanding accountability for the police action and seeking a discussion in Parliament.
In another post on X, Gandhi said the government was unwilling either to take responsibility for the alleged police excesses or allow a debate in Parliament. He also demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Delhi Police deployed additional personnel near Lok Kalyan Marg and detained several Congress workers during the protest. While the BJP accused the Congress of compromising the Prime Minister’s security, Congress leaders maintained that their demonstration was peaceful.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also demanded an immediate discussion in Parliament and called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, questioning why students seeking justice were met with “brutal lathis and tear gas”.
Responding to the growing controversy, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Prime Minister Modi, during the NDA Parliamentary Party’s ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting, had called for the strictest possible punishment for those responsible for the alleged NEET paper leak. According to Rijiju, the Prime Minister also stressed the need for a foolproof examination system and described preventing paper leaks as a national responsibility.
The developments come as protests led by the CJP continue to gather political support, with Opposition parties seeking to keep the issue alive both inside Parliament and on the streets.
