SCBA President Vikas Singh Urges Sonam Wangchuk to End Hunger Strike, Citing Diminished Moral Fiber of Politicians

(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)

New Delhi,16, July 2026 – In a significant development concerning the ongoing hunger strike by activist Sonam Wangchuk, Vikas Singh, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), has made a fervent appeal for Wangchuk to cease his protest.

Singh’s appeal, delivered during a visit to Jantar Mantar where Wangchuk has been staging his indefinite fast, underscored the critical need for the activist’s continued presence and leadership in addressing systemic issues.

Singh has expressed the solidarity with Wangchuck’s ongoing protest, also addressed an open letter to the activist, urging him to conserve his strength for the struggle ahead.

Singh said India did not need Wangchuck to die for a broken system but needed him to continue leading from the front. “We need you to be alive, working and leading, us from the front. Shaking conscience of this country is a very long journey and it requires time, which means it requires you to be here with us. He wrote.

Commending Wangchuck’s work, Singh said his strength lay not in “begging people in power” but in grassroots action that delivered change. Highlighting Wangchuck’s contributions to education, Singh said he had transformed lives by motivating students whom others had abandoned and by exemplifying discipline, innovation and empathy. Singh also criticised the government, asserting that the era when ministers resigned on moral grounds for failures was over.

“Gone are the days when leaders or ministers accepted moral responsibility and stepped down when lives were gravely affected by actions taken under their watch. Their role becomes even more suspect when a person of your integrity is willing to place their own life at risk for the betterment of the education system and their conscience is not moved. Politics has changed. Look at what is happening around us. We see massive institutional failures and broken system ruining millions of young lives, yet those in power look at this severe wrong doing and feel absolutely no shame no responsibility. Moral fibre of today’s politicians is vastly diminishing, and the same is also exhibited by the number of people with serious criminal cases being elected as Members of parliament. To expect a politician of today to have a conscience is unthinkable.

 He added that government and politicians would come and go but Wangchuck’s work would outlive them “Governments will come and go and politicians will be forgotten but the work you do with your own hands will outlive them all. Work is our true worship. Change starts with all of us, by quietly serving the nation in our respective fields. If you lead the way by building the future, others will eventually follow. He said.

He further said Wangchuck’s fast had stirred the nation’s conscience and urged him to save his strength.

“You have stirred the nation by your fast. You have awakened the national conscience, and it is only because of which an apolitical person like me is addressing this request to you. Please, save your strength for the long road ahead. End this fast, go back to the work you are best at, and trust that your idea of India is always in my prayers.” He said.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar since June 28, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in public examinations, including the NEET paper leak. Taking note of concerns over his deteriorating health, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Union Government to ensure his daily clinical monitoring and provide all necessary medical intervention during the course of his fast.

Meanwhile, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appealed to Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike, observing that while his protest had garnered widespread public support, many crucial battles still lay ahead. Stressing the importance of Wangchuk’s continued leadership, Sibal urged the activist to preserve his health so that he could continue to spearhead future struggles in the larger public interest.