UK – Daily Record, July 28, 2026
Ed Miliband has been urged to raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal with Indian officials as the local man faces up to almost a decade in jail in the country.
The newly-appointed Foreign Secretary has faced pressure to meet with Indian authorities over a case of a Dumbarton man who remains in jail in India.
Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested by Indian authorities in 2017 just weeks after his wedding in the country, and has been detained ever since.
He was acquitted last year in a case in which he was accused of financially supporting a terror group but he still faces federal charges in the country related to the same allegations.
Various representatives from the UK Government have lobbied their Indian counterparts over the years to resolve Mr Johal’s case – but have hit a brick wall.
The latest step has seen West Dunbartonshire MP Douglas McAllister pen a letter to Ed Miliband on the case, with Mr Miliband having been put in the role of Foreign Secretary Andy Burnham as he formed his cabinet last week.
In the letter, Mr McAllister writes: “I write to you upon your appointment to provide a full and formal update on the case of my constituent, Mr Jagtar Singh Johal, and to urge that securing his release be treated as an immediate and sustained priority.
Given the seriousness of the recent intervention by ten UN Special Rapporteurs and independent experts, and the continuing risks to Mr Johal’s life, it is essential that the United Kingdom adopts a more assertive and proactive approach in its engagement with the Government of India.”
He goes on to add: “We understand that your predecessor raised Mr Johal’s case during their recent meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and we welcome her call for a swift resolution.
“I now ask that you confirm that securing Mr Johal’s freedom will be treated as a matter of urgent priority, and that you will actively and consistently press your Indian counterparts for his immediate release.
“Mr Johal’s family in Dumbarton have waited nearly nine years for him to come home. I urge you to do everything within your authority to bring this injustice to an end.”
