The family of a Scot detained in India for more than eight years has welcomed comments from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling for a “swift resolution” to his case, but said she will ultimately be judged on what she does to secure his release. Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, was arrested by Indian authorities in 2017 while visiting the country for his wedding and has remained in custody ever since.
Speaking during a visit to Delhi, Ms Cooper said the case had “gone on far too long” and described it as “deeply distressing” for Mr Johal’s family. She confirmed she had raised the issue during meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
After hearing about Ms Cooper’s trip to Delhi, Jagtar described India’s judicial system as “broken”. Ms Cooper confirmed she discussed the case as part of her talks in Delhi.
View 3 ImagesForeign Secretary Yvette Cooper walks with the Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar ahead of a bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi during her trip to India.(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
She said: “We really need a swift resolution, this has gone on far too long and is deeply distressing for the family, so I will continue to raise it.” Mr Johal’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, said it appeared the Government was beginning to understand the impact the case has had on the family.
Responding to the Foreign Secretary’s remarks, he said: “Words can’t describe how distressing it is to have your husband abducted by police on your honeymoon, or to have a son or a brother taken away. But reading these latest comments, it feels like the message has finally got through.
“Jagtar’s imprisonment is a terrible injustice, a British family is suffering, and the UK Government absolutely has to do something about it.” However, he urged ministers to focus on securing concrete progress rather than making public statements.
“What matters isn’t what the Foreign Secretary says to journalists; it’s what she said to Prime Minister Modi and Dr Jaishankar when she had the opportunity, and what she is doing behind the scenes to get Jagtar home,” he said. “She’ll be judged on actions, not words.”
View 3 ImagesJagtar Singh Johal on his wedding day to Gurpreet Kaur in 2017(Image: Repreive)
Mr Johal, 39, was acquitted last year in one case in which he was accused of financially supporting a terrorist organisation, but he continues to face federal charges linked to the same allegations. A group of United Nations experts previously described his detention as arbitrary and said he has been subjected to “a form of psychological torture”.
Ahead of Ms Cooper’s talks in India, Mr Johal’s Labour MP, Douglas McAllister, said there could be “no higher priority” for the Foreign Secretary than securing the release of a British citizen who had been “unjustly imprisoned for nine years”.
Campaign group Reprieve, which has supported Mr Johal’s family, has repeatedly called for all remaining charges to be dropped. The organisation argues that the allegations rely on a confession it says was obtained through torture and points to last year’s acquittal as evidence that there is no case against him.
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