A British man imprisoned in India for over eight years has told Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that he is 'stuck in a broken country with a broken judicial system'. Jagtar Singh Johal, 39, from Dumbarton, was arrested in 2017 just weeks after his wedding and remains in detention despite being acquitted last year of financially backing a terror group.
Mr Johal continues to face federal charges based on the same accusations, which UN experts have condemned as arbitrary detention and 'a form of psychological torture'. His family and MP are urging Ms Cooper to secure his release during her visit to India this week for talks on global security.
Labour MP Douglas McAllister said: 'There can be no higher priority on this trip than securing the freedom of a young British man who has been unjustly imprisoned for almost nine years. It is not enough to raise the case or call for faster progress: following his acquittal in Punjab, all remaining charges against Jagtar Singh Johal should be dropped, so that he can return home to Dumbarton.'
Mr Johal's brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, said the family had presented a plan to Ms Cooper last year and called on her to put it into action. Dan Dolan of campaign group Reprieve said the Indian authorities have no case against Mr Johal, adding: 'An Indian court last year acquitted Jagtar on all charges, for lack of evidence, but he remains detained due to eight zombie cases based on the same allegation and the same torture confession.'
Ms Cooper is due to meet Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday. The Foreign Secretary has also faced pressure to raise the case of imprisoned British citizen Jimmy Lai during her visit to China earlier this week.
