On Thursday, the Delhi High Court will hear a public interest litigation concerning the deteriorating health of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since June 28. Wangchuk joined a protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party, which has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination for over 25 days. A bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia deferred the hearing on Wednesday due to the absence of representatives from the authorities, citing the ongoing work abstention called by the high court’s bar association. The court ordered that a copy of the order be served to the concerned Additional Solicitor General and the Delhi government counsel, and directed that the matter be listed for hearing the next day. Petitioner Rakesh Kumar Saini expressed concern over the situation, stating that it was sad and unfortunate that a protesting citizen was virtually taking his life in front of the whole nation. Saini’s PIL sought direction from the authorities to provide aid to Wangchuk and discuss the issue with him, as well as a direction to force-feed the activist if necessary. The plea emphasized that the government’s inaction would be equivalent to abetment of suicide, and that the court should intervene to prevent a citizen from dying due to hunger. The PIL also highlighted that Wangchuk’s hunger strike, which has been ongoing for 17 days, has not prompted a response from the government, and that the court should take immediate action to save his life.
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📰 Source: Sahil Online