NEW DELHI—The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to be shifted from Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital to the private Medanta Hospital, accepting a plea filed by his wife after hearing doctors from government institutions and Wangchuk's personal medical team.
A division bench led by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed that the transfer take place while ensuring continuity of medical care, after concluding there was broad medical consensus that Wangchuk required constant monitoring because of his prolonged hunger strike. The court also ordered that his medical records and reports be shared with the receiving hospital to avoid any interruption in treatment.
The Union government informed the court that it had no objection to Wangchuk's transfer to the private facility, according to court proceedings reported by legal media and other Indian news outlets.
Wangchuk, 59, has been on a hunger strike since June 28 in support of a youth-led protest movement demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in medical entrance examinations. Authorities moved him from a protest site at Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 after doctors warned that his health had deteriorated, a decision that police said was based on medical advice and a previous High Court order permitting intervention if his condition worsened.
His wife, Dr. Gitanjali Angmo, challenged his continued stay at the government hospital, arguing before the court that he should be allowed treatment at a hospital of his choice. Earlier proceedings had declined to order an immediate transfer while seeking additional medical reports and opinions from doctors at Safdarjung Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
During Tuesday's hearing, the bench reviewed medical assessments and consulted doctors involved in Wangchuk's treatment before concluding that transfer to a private hospital would serve his medical needs while maintaining continuous supervision.
The court's order comes as demonstrations linked to the examination controversy continue in parts of India. Wangchuk remained under medical supervision following the ruling, with the transfer to Medanta expected to proceed in accordance with the court's directions.
