‘7-minute translation for a 3-minute speech’: SC questions transcripts in Sonam Wangchuk Case

The Supreme Court has questioned the accuracy of video transcripts submitted by the Centre against activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was taken into custody under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, last September, after protests turned violent in Leh. The court is hearing his wife Gitanjali Angmo’s habeas corpus petition.  

“Mr Solicitor, we want an actual transcript of the speech. What he relied upon and what you say are different. We will decide. There should be an actual transcript of what he says. You may have your reasons. At least, whatever he stated, the true translation should be there… Your translation goes on for 7 to 8 minutes, but the speech is for 3 minutes. We are in the era of Artificial Intelligence; precision is at least 98 per cent for translation,” a bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice PB Varale told Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, as per The Tribune.

Following submissions by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, the bench sought the actual transcripts of Wangchuk’s statements. Sibal challenged the government's account, noting discrepancies between the original Ladakhi remarks and the translations provided.

Sibal, who is representing Wangchuk’s wife Gijtanjali Angmo in court, said: “Wangchuk continued his strike… and also continued to provoke youth by taking reference to Nepal… Where is this line coming from? This is a very unique detention order – you rely on something that does not exist, and then you say it is based on subjective satisfaction.”

In response, the ASG told the court that a separate department handles transcripts, noting, “We are not experts in it.”

This isn’t the first time the court has questioned the Centre over the alleged contents of Wangchuk’s speech. On February 11, the court raised doubts over the connection the government was making between Wangchuk’s speeches and the violence that broke out in Leh back in September 2025, noting that they were “reading too much into it”. 

Wangchuk was detained under the NSA on September 26, 2025 – two days after peaceful protests for Statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh had turned violent. The preceding clashes between protestors and the Ladakh Police and CRPF had left four people dead and nearly 100 injured.

The court also directed the Jail Superintendent of Jodhpur Central Jail, where Wangchuk is currently being held, to produce before it, in a “sealed cover,” the pen drive given by authorities at the Centre to Sonam Wangchuk while he was in detention on September 29, 2025, according to LiveLaw. 

“This was after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, for Dr Gitanjali Angmo, Wangchuk's wife, who has challenged his detention under the National Security Act, argued that the four videos of his speeches, which were cited by the detaining authority in the detention order, were not present in the pendrive which was handed over to Wangchuk in custody. Sibal, therefore, argued that the detention order was vitiated due to the non-supply of the relevant materials,” LiveLaw reported.

The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for Thursday. 

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