Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike PIL Delhi HC: Court Demands Government Response By Thursday

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, issued notice in a PIL seeking urgent medical intervention for climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, since June 28, 2026.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia termed the matter “urgent” and directed both the Central Government and the Delhi Government to file their responses by July 16, 2026, according to LiveLaw.

Background: How We Got Here

Sonam Wangchuk began his indefinite hunger strike on June 28, 2026, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. His protest is in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak, according to Bar & Bench.

The PIL — Rakesh Kumar Saini v. Union of India & Anr. — was filed by lawyer and activist Rakesh Kumar Saini, who appeared in person via video conferencing, as reported by LawBeat and ANI.

• By July 15, 2026 — Day 17 of the fast — Wangchuk had reportedly lost approximately 8.25 to 8.5 kg and was suffering from dropping blood sugar levels, dizziness, severe weakness, and muscle loss, per Bar & Bench and ANI.
• The petition invokes Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, contending that continued governmental inaction could amount to abetment of suicide, according to LawBeat.
• More than 1,800 civil society members — including actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, author Arundhati Roy, and economist Jean Drèze — had separately written an appeal urging Wangchuk to end his hunger strike, per Scroll.in.

The Ruling — Key Findings

The bench issued notice to the Union of India and the Government of NCT of Delhi and directed both to file responses ahead of the next date of hearing on July 16, 2026. The court also ordered that copies of the order be served on the Additional Solicitor General and the standing counsel for the Government of NCT of Delhi, according to LiveLaw and ANI.

Petitioner Rakesh Kumar Saini told the court: “Most unfortunate situation. Social activist who is on protest in exercise of his fundamental right against highly criticised govt actual is virtually committing an act of taking his own life in front of whole nation.”

The PIL specifically seeks directions to shift Wangchuk to a government hospital and, as quoted in the petition, to “take him to a government hospital and force feed him the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals, by way of a liquid diet which are necessary for a human body to survive.”

The bench directed: “We will serve notice to learned ASG. Let copy of this order be served to ASG and standing counsel civil GNCTD,” as quoted by LiveLaw and ANI.

The PIL also seeks directions for the government to initiate formal dialogue with Wangchuk in addition to providing immediate medical care, per LawBeat and ANI.

Reactions & What’s Next

The matter was adjourned to Thursday, July 16, 2026, because no counsel for the Union of India was present at the hearing. According to LiveLaw and ANI, Delhi High Court lawyers were abstaining from work on July 15 due to a Bar Association boycott of court proceedings over proposed changes to the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts.

Despite the absence of respondents’ counsel, the bench did not allow the urgency of the matter to lapse. It chose to term the case urgent on the record and set a next-day deadline for governmental responses — an unusually swift turnaround that underlines the court’s concern about Wangchuk’s deteriorating health.

The invocation of Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — the provision concerning abetment of suicide — means the Central and Delhi governments now face a direct legal question about whether their inaction carries criminal-law implications, as reported by LawBeat.

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