“The prolonged uncertainty alone is a form of psychological torture."
UN experts have condemned the continued detention of Jagtar Singh Johal, describing his eight-year imprisonment in India as “a form of psychological torture” and a “profound miscarriage of justice”.
The group of 10 experts said there is no justification for his ongoing detention, urging Indian authorities to drop the remaining charges and secure his immediate release.
Mr Johal, from Dumbarton near Glasgow, was arrested in India in 2017, just weeks after his wedding in the country. He has remained in custody ever since.
The 39-year-old was acquitted in 2025 of charges alleging financial support for a terror group. However, he still faces federal charges brought by the Indian government.
In a joint statement, the UN experts 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 is a form of psychological torture.
“International law is unequivocal: torture includes severe mental suffering caused by prolonged uncertainty while awaiting trial.”
Mr Johal’s detention was recognised as arbitrary by a UN panel in 2022. He has also claimed he was subjected to torture while in custody.
Indian authorities have denied those allegations. They have consistently said due process is being followed.
In a further statement, the experts said: “Time is not neutral.
“The long wait for an outcome has already caused intolerable anxiety and stress, and constitutes an unacceptable harm prohibited under international human rights law.”
The experts confirmed they have sent a new communication to Indian authorities. They added that they will continue to monitor developments in the case.
The group includes UN Special Rapporteurs covering torture, freedom of religion or belief, minority issues, counter-terrorism and human rights, freedom of expression, and human rights defenders. It also includes members of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Mr Johal’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, has renewed calls for UK Government intervention. He met Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in December.
He said: “This is the strongest intervention yet from the UN.
“It is clear as day to legal experts that my brother should not be in prison and that keeping him there for eight years without any evidence is a terrible injustice.
“The Foreign Secretary talks about respecting India’s ‘independent legal system’ when the truth is that my brother is trapped in a hell of endless hearings where no evidence is presented against him and no progress made.
“Last time a group of UN experts called for Jagtar to be released, Sir Keir Starmer strongly agreed and wrote to (then prime minister) Boris Johnson to say so.
“Now he is Prime Minister himself, will he do everything in his power to get my brother home?”
“When Jagtar was fully acquitted of all charges in the first case against him, we put forward a clear strategy to the UK Government to secure his release, but it’s been more than a year and they haven’t done it – all I hear is the same old excuses for their failure to act.”
Jagtar Singh Johal is represented in the UK by legal charities Redress and Reprieve, both of which have called for stronger government action.
Rupert Skilbeck, director of Redress, said: “The UK Government should be doing more to end this injustice against a British citizen.”
Reprieve deputy chief executive Dan Dolan added: “This important intervention should be a wake-up call for the UK Government, which is not doing nearly enough to help this young British man.”
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