The UK foreign secretary has called on the Indian government to hasten the case of Scottish man Jagtar Singh Johal, who has been detained in India for over six years over allegations of terrorism. Jagtar Singh Johal is a 37-year-old Sikh activist who has been charged with eight counts of conspiracy to murder in relation to political violence in the country’s northern region. Johal’s brother, lawyer and Labour councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, met Lord Cameron on Monday to discuss the case. While he thanked Lord Cameron for the meeting, Johal expressed disappointment and stated that “the UK government could bring my brother home tomorrow if they really wanted to.”
Johal’s family has stated that his life depends on foreign secretary intervention and have stated that they hope the case will be resolved soon. Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested in India in November 2017, just weeks after his wedding in the country. Since his arrest, a UK cross-party group of MPs has claimed that Johal was electrocuted and threatened with petrol, leading him to record video statements and sign blank pieces of paper. The Indian authorities have denied the allegations.
Lord Cameron, the sixth foreign secretary since Johal’s arrest, stated that he takes British citizens imprisoned overseas seriously and will examine all the paperwork and find out whether there is a different approach the UK should take. However, while Lord Cameron has promised to look into the case further, he has made no promises that the approach will be different. Johal’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, expressed disappointment that Lord Cameron had not called for Jagtar’s release but said he appreciated that the foreign secretary had committed to a follow-up meeting.
Jagtar Singh Johal’s trial for the eight most serious charges against him began in 2022, but he has still not been convicted of any crime. In May 2022, a UN panel of human rights experts found his detention was arbitrary and that he should be released. Nonetheless, the High Commission of India in London insists that due process under Indian law is being followed in Johal’s case. Their statement asserted that Johal had been charged under appropriate provisions under Indian laws after extensive investigations by national agencies and that it was for the Indian courts to decide the next steps in his case
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