New Delhi: Despite being a holiday, an urgent hearing has been scheduled before the Delhi High Court on Sunday afternoon on a plea filed by Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging his continued hospitalisation at Safdarjung Hospital and seeking his immediate discharge and transfer to a medical facility of the family’s choice.
The matter is slated to be heard by the single-judge Bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna.
In her writ petition filed before the Delhi High Court, Angmo has contended that Wangchuk was forcibly removed from the protest site at Jantar Mantar on Saturday morning and shifted to Safdarjung Hospital without his consent and without any prior intimation to his family, despite there being no medical emergency warranting such action.
The plea has sought a declaration that Wangchuk’s continued confinement at the hospital is unconstitutional and has prayed for directions permitting his immediate discharge and transfer to a hospital chosen by him and his family.
It has also sought unrestricted access to his legal counsel and the doctors who had been monitoring his health during the hunger strike.
According to the petition, the authorities have refused repeated requests to shift Wangchuk to another hospital and have denied complete access to his medical records, thereby preventing any independent assessment of his health condition.
It further claimed that Wangchuk’s potassium level was recorded at 4.3 mg during a medical examination conducted on Friday, but after he was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, the family was informed that the level had suddenly dropped to 2.9 mg, prompting medical intervention.
According to the plea, after repeated requests, the family received Wangchuk’s blood sample nearly 10.5 hours later and got it independently tested, which allegedly showed a potassium level of 3.6 mg, raising concerns over discrepancies in the medical reports.
The petition also alleged that despite written representations submitted on Saturday, the hospital authorities declined to discharge Wangchuk or permit his transfer to another medical facility, while also restricting the family’s access to him.
Meanwhile, Safdarjung Hospital, in its latest health bulletin issued on Sunday, said Wangchuk’s vital parameters are presently stable, but his blood parameters remain “marginally altered”, necessitating continuous medical care under the close supervision of a multidisciplinary team.
The hospital said doctors from VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS are of the considered opinion that sustained medical intervention and round-the-clock clinical monitoring are essential to promptly detect and manage any potential complications arising from prolonged fasting.
On Saturday, Wangchuk was shifted from the Jantar Mantar protest site to Safdarjung Hospital after his health deteriorated, with the authorities stating that the move was undertaken in compliance with the Delhi High Court’s earlier directions and on the advice of medical experts.
The latest petition comes days after a Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia disposed of a PIL relating to Wangchuk’s deteriorating health after recording the Centre’s assurance that his medical condition would be monitored daily by government doctors and that all necessary medical intervention would be undertaken depending on medical opinion.
Recording the assurance given by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the Delhi High Court had observed that the life of every citizen is precious and all efforts ought to be made by the authorities to protect it.
Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 in solidarity with students protesting alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
He joined the agitation at Jantar Mantar after the protest campaign was launched on June 20. Now, all eyes will be on the hearing before Justice Mini Pushkarna later in the day.
(IANS)
