The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government on a petition seeking urgent intervention to end activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike, reported Bar and Bench.

Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since June 28. His fast is part of a protest by the political campaign Cockroach Janta Party to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after alleged mismanagement in conducting competitive exams.

Describing the matter as urgent, a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia posted the public interest litigation for Thursday. It noted that nobody was present on behalf of the Union government on Wednesday, Bar and Bench reported.

The petition, filed by lawyer and activist Rakesh Kumar Saini, stated that Wangchuk's health had deteriorated rapidly and that he had lost 8.5 kg during the demonstration. If the hunger strike continued, he could lose his life within two days, it added.

Saini has sought directions to the Centre and the Delhi government for taking Wangchuk to a hospital and force-feeding him.

If the activist dies, it would be a matter of great shame for the country and the world, Bar and Bench quoted the plea as saying.

On Tuesday, more than 1,800 members of civil society urged Wangchuk to withdraw his hunger strike.

In their letter, the signatories said that they were appealing for an end to the hunger strike because the Union government “does not have a heart or a conscience”.

The signatories include actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, author Arundhati Roy, academics Nivedita Menon and Jean Drèze, and activists Lalita Ramdas and Kavita Srivastava.

Abhijeet Dipke, who founded the campaign, said on Tuesday that after 17 days of the hunger strike, Wangchuk had started losing muscle mass and was in “immense pain”.

Dipke added that he had “begged him to end his fast”. He quoted Wangchuk as having asked in response why the Union government was not willing to hold a dialogue with the protesters.

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