SCBA Expresses Solidarity With Sonam Wangchuk

Laments Lack Of Govt Response To His Protest

Report By Y-Trendz

New Delhi — The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has formally expressed solidarity with education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, adopting a resolution that both praises his decades of public

service and criticises the government's failure to respond adequately to his ongoing indefinite hunger strike.

The Resolution

The Executive Committee of the SCBA passed the resolution on July 16, appealing directly to Wangchuk to end his fast while simultaneously voicing support for his underlying concerns about alleged irregularities in national examinations, particularly the NEET medical entrance test. The Committee said it was deeply troubled that Wangchuk had chosen to place his own health and life at risk for the sake of the country's children and the broader education system.

The resolution acknowledged that Wangchuk's decades of work — spanning innovation, community engagement, and institution-building — had transformed countless lives, and it characterised his willingness to undertake such an extreme personal sacrifice as an act that should have prompted urgent institutional attention. Instead, the Committee lamented, the response from those in power had been marked by neither the urgency nor the sensitivity the moment demanded.

Notably, the resolution went further than simple appeal. The SCBA committed to extending legal and research support, within the scope of its own mandate, to initiatives aimed at ensuring greater transparency, fairness, and accountability in the processes that determine India's educational opportunities. The body also resolved to advocate more broadly for reforms strengthening institutional integrity and encouraging sustained, ethical public engagement going forward.

A Personal Appeal From the SCBA President

Adding weight to the institutional resolution, SCBA President and senior advocate Dr. Vikas Singh reportedly wrote a personal letter to Wangchuk, urging him to safeguard his health and continue leading the movement from a position of strength rather than through further physical sacrifice. The Committee's language echoed this sentiment throughout the resolution, stating plainly that India does not need Wangchuk to place his life in jeopardy for a system in distress — rather, the country needs him alive, active, and able to continue leading from the front.

The resolution framed the broader struggle for institutional reform and restored public faith as a long journey, one that requires Wangchuk's continued presence and full strength rather than the ultimate risk of martyrdom. It further noted that his fast had already served as a powerful reminder that moral courage remains indispensable to national character, and that it had succeeded in awakening public conscience around issues affecting millions of young citizens across the country.

Context of the Protest

Wangchuk has been on hunger strike at a protest site in central New Delhi since June 28, with the demonstration held in solidarity with the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose founder is separately staging a sit-in demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The resignation demand stems from major examination paper leaks in May that are reported to have affected millions of students nationwide.

As of mid-July, Wangchuk's fast had stretched past its 17th day, with reports indicating his health had markedly deteriorated — including a documented weight loss of roughly 8.5 kilograms. Images circulated by the CJP showed him surrounded by medical personnel monitoring his condition. Organisers associated with the protest have said Wangchuk remains determined to continue the fast and is pressing supporters to keep preparing for a planned march on Parliament.

Opposition leaders have also weighed in, publicly urging Wangchuk to call off his fast even as they voiced support for the underlying demands around examination transparency and accountability. Some protest organisers have gone so far as to accuse the government of indifference to the health risks faced by Wangchuk and others participating in the demonstration.

Wangchuk's Broader Legacy

Wangchuk, an engineer, innovator, and education reformer, is widely known in India for his work reforming rural education in Ladakh and for his history of hunger strikes as a tool of civic protest — including previous fasts demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule constitutional protections for the Union Territory of Ladakh. His long-standing reputation for institution-building and non-violent activism has made his current protest a focal point for wider public debate over accountability in India's education system.

What Happens Next

The SCBA's resolution places one of India's most prominent legal bodies squarely behind calls for reform, even as it stops short of endorsing the continuation of the fast itself. With Wangchuk's health reportedly worsening and a parliamentary march planned for July 20, pressure appears to be mounting on the government to respond substantively to demands for greater transparency and accountability in the examination system, as well as calls for Minister Pradhan's resignation. Whether the government will engage directly with Wangchuk or the CJP in the coming days remains to be seen.