The Delhi High Court has mandated that India government should conduct regular monitoring of the health of activist Sonam Wangchuk who is on the 19th day of his indefinite hunger strike.

The court also mandated that Wangchuk be given necessary medical aid, stating that it would prefer it if government doctors could regularly monitor the health of the activist.

The court directed so while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Rakesh Kumar Saini who urged the court to ensure that authorities engage in dialogue with Wangchuk and that he receive proper medical attention.

The litigation also noticably sought direction to force-feed the activist whose health is rapidly deteriorating.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, responded that there is no objection to the provision of regular medical check-ups for Wangchuk.

Wangchuk is on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi as part of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of examinations, especially the National-Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said Wangchuk has been losing muscle mass and was in "immense pain".

"He has started losing muscle mass and is in immense pain. Like everyone else, I begged him to end his fast. He calmly replied, 'Don't ask me to end my fast. Ask the government why they won't even have a dialogue,'" Dipke said in a post on X.

According to the health bulletin issued by the outfit, Wangchuk has lost 8.5 kg since the beginning of his fast, and his blood pressure was recorded at 109/70 mm Hg as of Tuesday.

(With inputs from PTI)

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