"It is time for the government to act on its strong statements"
Hopes for the release of Jagtar Singh Johal, a British Sikh man jailed in India since 2017, were dashed on May 1, 2025, after the Indian Supreme Court deferred his bail hearing, possibly until after the summer.
The decision sparked renewed pressure on the UK government to intervene, with over 100 MPs and peers signing a letter urging the foreign secretary, David Lammy, to act.
Lammy is due to meet Jagtar’s brother next week.
Scottish national Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested in November 2017 and accused of financing terrorism for the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF).
Indian authorities claim he gave £3,000 to KLF members in Paris in 2013, which they claim was used to buy weapons later linked to a series of targeted killings.
Jagtar denies the allegations and has not been convicted of any crime.
In March 2025, he was acquitted in a Punjab state court case that mirrors the charges laid against him in federal courts.
Campaigners and legal experts say his continued detention on the same evidence raises concerns around double jeopardy, a protection recognised in both Indian and international law.
All the charges are based on an alleged confession that Jagtar claims he was tortured into signing.
He says police used electric shocks, brought petrol into his cell and threatened to burn him alive if he didn’t comply. A UN working group has concluded that Jagtar’s detention is arbitrary.
Reprieve, the human rights organisation supporting his case, said bail was likely delayed due to the broader legal implications of prolonged pre-trial detention under India’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Critics say the UAPA is often used to stifle dissent and prolong imprisonment without trial.
Reprieve’s deputy executive director Dan Dolan said: “This is a politically motivated prosecution of a young British human rights defender, and the process is the punishment.
“Jagtar has been found not guilty once, after prosecutors failed to present any credible evidence against him in seven years.
“For him to remain imprisoned for decades, as duplicate trials drag on in defiance of the principle of double jeopardy, would be an obscene injustice.
“It is time for the government to act on its strong statements in opposition and do what it takes to bring Jagtar home.”
A letter sent to Mr Lammy, signed by 117 cross-party MPs and peers, urged him to apply “urgent British diplomatic pressure” following Jagtar’s acquittal.
It said: “The judgment on the evidence led is crucial and relevant to securing his release, because it is the same evidence that exists in the other outstanding federal court cases.”
The Indian authorities have not alleged that Jagtar Singh Johal directly participated in any attacks.
His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, a Labour councillor in West Dunbartonshire, welcomed the meeting with Mr Lammy but said action must follow.
He said:
“I’m glad the foreign secretary is meeting me again, as it shows he recognises that this is a make-or-break moment for Jagtar.”
“The case against my brother has been tested in court and rejected, but the Indian authorities will keep him in prison for decades if the UK government doesn’t act to secure his release.
“We’ve seen that today at the Supreme Court – just the latest in an endless series of delays.
“This is the moment of truth for David Lammy: will he live up to his promises, or will he fail Jagtar like the last six foreign secretaries did?”
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