The administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh has defended its decision to cancel the land allotment granted to the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL), an organization founded by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. In a 136-page affidavit filed before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Wednesday, government authorities maintained that the institution had been occupying government land in Leh without clearing mandatory dues. The administration further argued that the land lease had expired by operation of law as early as 2019.
This legal filing comes in response to a petition submitted by HIAL, which challenged an administrative order issued in August 2025 that formally revoked the institute’s land allotment. According to government officials, the lease for the site, covering over 1,076 kanals of land, had a term that lapsed on May 5, 2019. The administration stated that the recent cancellation order was merely a procedural measure to officially record the lapse and rectify revenue records accordingly.
The government affidavit strongly countered HIAL’s reliance on the founder’s public reputation and various accolades. Authorities asserted that Wangchuk’s “stature and accolades” did not exempt his institution from the obligation to pay premiums or execute necessary lease deeds within the established legal timeframe. The filing further criticized the institute for devoting a significant portion of its legal petition to highlighting awards and the founder’s personal eminence, which the government described as an attempt to seek equitable consideration while ignoring a “decades-long pattern” of using government land without meeting fiscal obligations.
Beyond the land dispute, the administration introduced serious allegations regarding Sonam Wangchuk’s involvement in civil unrest. The affidavit formally accused the activist of inciting violence during protests in Leh on September 24, 2025. According to the document, the demonstrations, which involved calls for statehood and the implementation of the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh, resulted in the deaths of four individuals and left many others injured following alleged police firing.
The government’s submission cited an official statement from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which alleged that Wangchuk had misled the public through inflammatory rhetoric. The affidavit claimed that the activist’s comparisons of the situation in Ladakh to the “Arab Spring” and his references to protests in Nepal were provocative and directly contributed to the escalation of the mob’s activities. Wangchuk is currently a member of the Leh Apex Body, a collective organization that has been leading negotiations with the central government regarding the political future and autonomy of the Union Territory.
The legal battle represents a significant escalation in the ongoing friction between the local administration and activist groups spearheading regional demands in Ladakh. By framing the cancellation of the land allotment as a matter of legal compliance and linking the leadership of HIAL to last year's fatalities, the administration has intensified its stance against the prominent climate figure.
As the proceedings continue in the High Court, the core of the judicial challenge will focus on whether the administration’s cancellation order was a routine administrative act or, as alleged by the petitioners, an overreach. The court is expected to deliberate on the merits of the lapsed lease argument alongside the broader context of the civil unrest cited by government representatives. For now, the administration stands by its decision, emphasizing that the rule of law must prevail regarding the occupation of public land.
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