The family of a Scottish man detained in India for over eight years has disclosed they have not spoken to him in seven months, as politicians intensify pressure on the UK government to facilitate his return.
Family's Ordeal
Jagtar Singh Johal, originally from Dumbarton, has been imprisoned for 3,146 days since his arrest during his honeymoon in Punjab in 2017. His brother Gurpreet revealed that phone calls were terminated after Johal was moved to Delhi's notorious Tihar Jail last year.
Gurpreet Singh Johal expressed the emotional toll: "It can get very lonely campaigning for my brother's release. Since Jagtar was transferred to Tihar jail, our phone calls stopped—it's been seven months since I last spoke with him. Video calls were cut off even earlier. Imagine not being able to talk to your brother, knowing he is unjustly imprisoned."
Political Pressure
More than 50 MPs and peers wrote to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Thursday, urging her to do "everything in your power" to bring Johal home. This follows a fresh intervention by ten United Nations experts who described his continued detention as a "profound miscarriage of justice."
In their letter, parliamentarians stated: "Jagtar has now spent 3,146 days in arbitrary detention, during which he has endured torture, severe abuse of his rights, and ongoing trauma. The UN experts' intervention makes clear his imprisonment is unlawful and intolerable."
UN Experts' Concerns
The UN experts highlighted that there is "no rationale" for Johal's continued detention, warning that over eight years in prison without a foreseeable trial amounts to "unlawful suffering." They said: "Eight and a half years of arbitrary detention without a clear path to trial is not justice; it is unlawful suffering. The prolonged uncertainty alone constitutes psychological torture."
Johal was acquitted in one case in March 2025 after a Punjab court rejected allegations. However, he remains imprisoned facing multiple federal prosecutions that campaigners argue are duplicate cases. The experts also raised concerns about double jeopardy, presumption of innocence, misuse of counter-terrorism laws, and proceedings integrity.
Cross-Party Support
The letter was signed by MPs and peers from Labour, Conservatives, SNP, Liberal Democrats, Greens, and independents, including Dumbarton MP Douglas McAllister. They noted that Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as opposition leader, twice recognized Johal's detention as arbitrary and called for his release. "It has never been more vital to deliver this," they wrote.
Gurpreet said the letter reminds ministers and the family that public support remains strong: "This letter makes a difference. It reminds the government they are on notice, and it shows the family that people care—not just the MPs who signed but the thousands of voters who wrote to them. We won't rest until Jagtar is home."
The Foreign Secretary raised Johal's case during recent meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The Record has contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment.
