Agencies
NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and his associates have been released from detention.
The senior law officer also said that the Delhi Police order prohibiting assembly and protests in various parts of Delhi has also been withdrawn.
Mehta made the statement before a bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
The bench was hearing petitions seeking the release of Wangchuk and his associates as well challenging the prohibitory order. Around 120 people from Ladakh, including Wangchuk, were allegedly detained at the Delhi border by police on Monday night while marching to the capital to demand the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The Sixth Schedule pertains to the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram as "autonomous districts and autonomous regions".
Wangchuk was leading the march, 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra', which began from Leh a month ago.
"The (prohibitory) order which was passed on September 30 now stands withdrawn in view of changed circumstances as they exist now. So far as persons who were allegedly detained, it was not detention in that sense, but they are also out," the solicitor general (SG) said.
"They visited Rajghat (yesterday). They were there for about two hours. They gave some memorandum which was accepted by the Ministry of Home Affairs. They have also left," he added.
The court closed the proceedings on the petitions by social activist Azad, who said he worked closely with Wangchuk, and lawyer Mustafa Haji, the legal advisor to the Leh Apex Body, after their lawyers also admitted to the release.
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