UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Cannot release Wangchuk on health grounds, Centre tells SC
Q1. Which one of the following is the nodal Union Ministry that administers the National Security Act, 1980, under which Sonam Wangchuk was detained in September 2025?
- A. Ministry of Law and Justice
- B. Ministry of Home Affairs
- C. Ministry of External Affairs
- D. Ministry of Defence
Q2. In the context of the National Security Act, 1980 invoked against Sonam Wangchuk, the term 'preventive detention' most accurately refers to:
- A. Detention of a person after conviction by a competent court to prevent re-offending
- B. Detention of a person against whom a charge-sheet has been filed pending trial
- C. Detention of a person without trial on the apprehension that he is likely to act in a manner prejudicial to public order or State security
- D. Detention of a person ordered by a magistrate under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita for custodial interrogation
Q3. With reference to the National Security Act, 1980 — the law under which Sonam Wangchuk was detained — consider the following statements in comparison with the broader constitutional scheme of preventive detention:
1. The Act permits preventive detention for a maximum period of twelve months from the date of detention.
2. Under Section 3(2) of the Act, only the Central Government — and never a State Government — is empowered to issue a detention order.
3. A detention order made under the Act can never be subjected to judicial review by the Supreme Court through a writ of habeas corpus.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Act permits preventive detention for a maximum period of twelve months from the date of detention.
- Under Section 3(2) of the Act, only the Central Government — and never a State Government — is empowered to issue a detention order.
- A detention order made under the Act can never be subjected to judicial review by the Supreme Court through a writ of habeas corpus.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. Gitanjali Angmo, wife of Sonam Wangchuk, moved the Supreme Court directly by way of a habeas corpus petition. Which one of the following is the primary constitutional provision that enables such a direct invocation of the Supreme Court's writ jurisdiction for enforcement of fundamental rights?
- A. Article 21
- B. Article 32
- C. Article 136
- D. Article 226
Q5. According to the Centre's submission to the Supreme Court in February 2026 opposing Sonam Wangchuk's release on health grounds, how many times was he medically examined during his detention in Jodhpur Central Jail?