'He may not survive beyond two days': Plea urges Delhi HC to save Sonam Wangchuk

New Delhi: Environmentalist and activist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike has entered its 18th day, with a plea filed before the Delhi High Court warning that he may not survive for more than two more days if the fast continues.

The public interest litigation (PIL), filed by advocate Rakesh Kumar Saini, sought the court's urgent intervention and urged authorities to admit Wangchuk to a government hospital and administer liquid nutrition through force-feeding to preserve his life.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite fast since June 28, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. He joined the protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, which describes itself as a political platform "of the youth, by the youth, for the youth".

Hearing the matter on Tuesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said it would take up the petition on Wednesday after noting that no one appeared on behalf of the Union government because of the ongoing work abstention by the Delhi High Court Bar Association.

"We are entertaining the petition. We will post the matter tomorrow itself and require them to seek instructions. We will ask the registry to file the order to the authorities today itself," the bench said.

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According to the plea, the 59-year-old activist has lost around 8.5 kg during the course of the hunger strike.

The petitioner argued that peaceful protest is a fundamental democratic right but said the state had remained "least concerned and insensitive" despite Wangchuk's deteriorating condition.

"The simple thing to be done is to take him to a government hospital and force-feed him the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals by way of a liquid diet," the plea stated.

It further contended that allowing Wangchuk to continue the fast without intervention would be a "matter of great shame" for the country and alleged that the government was treating him "like a hardcore criminal, terrorist or traitor to the nation".

The petition also argued that any failure by the authorities to act could amount to abetment of suicide, urging the court to direct immediate medical intervention to save the activist's life.