Indian court asks authorities to intervene if fasting activist's condition worsens

An Indian court directed authorities on Thursday to monitor the health of an activist who is on the 19th day of a hunger strike on a stage in central Delhi to demand the education minister quits, and to intervene if his condition deteriorates.

It is the first time that a court has intervened in the protest, as concern over Sonam Wangchuk’s condition grows among his supporters. The instruction means he could be moved to a hospital if his health worsens.

Wangchuk has been fasting in solidarity with India’s youth Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is staging a sit-in demanding minister Dharmendra Pradhan step down over exam paper leaks that affected millions of students.

The 59-year-old, who has said he will continue his strike until their demands are met, has lost more than 9 kilograms since he began his fast but remains mentally alert, a doctor attending to him told news agency ANI.

Acting on a petition for authorities to force-feed Wangchuk before his condition worsens, a two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court asked officials to intervene depending on medical opinion.

The court order comes days ahead of a march to parliament called by the CJP on July 20 from the venue of the hunger strike to press for Pradhan’s resignation and exam reforms.

The CJP, which gained 22 million followers on Instagram within a few days of being set up in May, is demanding the minister’s resignation for the leak of question papers for a national medical college entrance examination.

The party describes itself as representing “the lazy, the unemployed, and the chronically correct”. Its rapid online rise reflects frustrations among young Indians, who are estimated to make up more than half the country’s 1.42 billion population.

India’s unemployment rate was 3.1 per cent in 2025 for people aged 15 and above, government data showed, but nearly 10pc among those aged 15 to 29, rising to 13.6pc in urban areas. ...