NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday said it will hear on Thursday a public interest litigation (PIL) raising concerns over the health of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar.The Cockroach Janta Party has been protesting for over 25 days, demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.Wangchuk joined the protest on June 28 and has been on an indefinite fast since then.A division bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia deferred the hearing after noting that none appeared on behalf of the authorities amid the ongoing work abstention called by the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA).After hearing submissions made by petitioner Rakesh Kumar Saini, who appeared virtually as petitioner-in-person, the bench noted the urgency involved and issued notice to the additional solicitor general, the Union government and the Delhi government, directing them to clarify their stand on the issues raised in the petition.“Having regard to urgency, list tomorrow,” the bench said.The court also directed that a copy of its order be served to the concerned additional solicitor general and the Delhi government counsel.The lawyers’ absentism comes amid DHCBA’s call to boycott court proceedings in protest against the proposed enhancement of the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts. Consequently, no law officer or government counsel was available to assist the court.Petitioner Rakesh Kumar Saini submitted that the situation was “sad” and “most unfortunate” as a protesting citizen was “virtually taking his life in front of the whole nation.”In the PIL, Saini sought directions to the authorities to come to Wangchuk’s aid and “discuss the issue” with him.The petition also sought directions to immediately provide appropriate medical treatment and life-saving intervention to Wangchuk, initiate dialogue with him over the issues raised during the protest, ensure all necessary medical support, including emergency care and nutritional assistance, and also sought a direction to force-feed the activist.(With agency inputs)
