The division bench has allowed Sonam Wangchuk to be moved from Safdarjung Hospital to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, while making it clear that his treatment must continue under medical supervision. Hindustan Times reported that the order was passed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia on July 21, 2026, after hearing an appeal filed by his wife, Gitanjali Angmo.

The case has now moved beyond a simple hospital-transfer request. It asks how courts should balance a protester’s right to choose treatment with the state’s duty to prevent a health emergency during an indefinite fast.

Why Sonam Wangchuk  is in hospital

Wangchuk has been fasting since June 28 in support of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party protest over alleged NEET paper leak irregularities. Reuters reported that the movement is demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over medical entrance exam paper leaks.

Delhi Police moved him from the Jantar Mantar protest site to a government hospital on July 18. Police said they were acting under an earlier court order that allowed health monitoring and medical intervention if his condition worsened.

The shift triggered a legal and political row. Angmo argued that her husband should be treated at a hospital of his choice. The government said there was no objection to Medanta, as long as continuity of treatment was maintained.

A Single-Judge Refusal, Then A Larger Bench Steps In

The Medanta order came after a single judge had refused immediate relief. Justice Mini Pushkarna had earlier declined to order his transfer, observing that the hospitalisation was not arbitrary and that doctors should decide treatment according to medical protocol.

Angmo then moved the division bench. The larger bench took a different route. It said all medical records and reports available with the earlier hospital must be shared with Medanta, and that Medanta’s director should form a team of doctors to monitor Wangchuk after the transfer.

That is the key shift. The court did not simply accept the family’s concerns. It allowed the move while placing Wangchuk’s care under a formal medical structure.

The Court’s Reasoning

According to Hindustan Times, the bench said the transfer would help protect Wangchuk’s fundamental rights under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The order also recorded Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s statement that the government had no objection to his hospitalisation at Medanta.

The court directed that a dedicated panel of doctors with the required expertise monitor his condition and administer treatment as per accepted medical norms. This means the transfer is not a free discharge. It is a change of hospital under continued supervision.

That distinction matters. Wangchuk’s family wanted a facility they trusted. The state wanted to ensure he did not leave medical care against advice. The court’s order tries to hold both positions together.

Wangchuk Now Under Medanta Monitoring

Wangchuk has now been shifted from Safdarjung to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram after the High Court order. Reports from TOI and Navbharat Times said he was admitted to Medanta on Tuesday evening, July 21, after the court allowed the transfer to the private hospital of his choice.

The immediate focus has now moved from the transfer itself to his treatment and monitoring at Medanta. The court directed that his earlier test reports and treatment papers be handed over to the new hospital, and that Medanta’s director form a dedicated medical team to oversee his care. He has also been directed to follow medical advice while his hunger strike continues.

Politically, the fast remains tied to the CJP protest over NEET irregularities and the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Legally, the question has shifted from whether he can move hospitals to how his health, consent and protest rights are managed while he remains under medical supervision.

For now, Wangchuk’s family has won the transfer they wanted. But the larger dispute is not over. His hunger strike continues, the protest demands remain alive, and the next stage will depend on both his medical condition and how the government responds to the student-led movement.

Why The Case Matters

This dispute is not only about one activist’s hospital bed. It touches a wider question of bodily autonomy during political protest.

Al Jazeera reported that, in an earlier order, Justice Pushkarna had said doctors had administered only oral fluids and supplements with Wangchuk’s consent, and that it could not be said that force was being used or that his rights were being violated.

But the larger bench’s order shows that the family’s concerns could not be brushed aside completely. By allowing the transfer to a hospital of Wangchuk’s choice, the court recognised that trust between patient, family and doctors is also part of the treatment question.