Sonam Wangchuk taken to AIIMS Jodhpur

Activist and scholar Sonam Wangchuk, lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail since September 27, 2025, was taken to AIIMS Jodhpur for medical examination in the early hours of Saturday morning, January 31, 2026, officials said.

He spent about an hour and a half in the hospital’s gastroenterology department before being taken back to prison.

According to AIIMS sources, Mr Wangchuk was suffering from stomach-related problems and had also visited the hospital on Friday (January 30, 2026) for tests.

The Supreme Court, which is currently hearing the petition filed by his wife, has requested Mr. Wangchuk’s medical report by February 2.

Following the Supreme Court’s orders, police shifted Mr. Wangchuk from Jodhpur Central Jail to the emergency ward of AIIMS Hospital on Saturday morning, January 31, 2026, a police official said.

Mr Wangchuk has been expressing concerns for some time about his deteriorating health in prison. Realizing that his condition has deteriorated, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Jodhpur prison administration to ensure that he is examined by a specialist.

During the hearing, a Bench comprising Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice PB Varale directed the prison authorities to ensure that Wangchuk is examined by a specialist doctor (gastroenterologist) at a government hospital.

KM Nataraj, Additional Solicitor General of the government of Rajasthan, stated that prison doctors examined Mr Wangchuk 21 times in the last four months and the last check-up took place on January 26.

Disputing this claim, Mr Wangchuk’s lawyer, Kapil Sibal, claimed that he suffered constant stomach pain due to the quality of the water in the prison.

The court panel accepted Mr. Sibal’s defense and stated that medical treatment should be provided by a specialist physician in line with the needs of the patient.