Thank you for contacting me about Jagtar Singh Johal, for whom I share your concern.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) staff have been working hard to provide consular assistance to Mr Johal and his family, and representations are regularly made by the British High Commissioner directly to the Government of India on behalf of Mr Johal.
The Foreign Secretary also discussed Mr Johal's case with the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Delhi on 29 October 2022, as did the previous Foreign Secretary during her visits to India on 31 March 2022 and 22 October 2021. The former Prime Minister Boris Johnson also raised the case with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Delhi on 22 April 2022.
I would also highlight that HM Government takes the opinion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention regarding Mr Johal very seriously, and has raised allegations of torture and mistreatment, and the right to a fair trial, when citing concerns about Mr Johal's case with the Government of India at official and ministerial levels. To date, Ministers and officials have raised Mr Johal's case on almost 100 occasions and I have been assured that they will continue to do so.
Mr Johal's welfare also continues to be a priority, as is ensuring his ongoing access to legal representatives. Consular staff have attended a number of hearings in Mr Johal's case in an observer capacity. Lord Ahmad, as the lead FCDO Minister in Mr Johal's case, has also met Mr Johal's family and constituency MP, Martin Docherty-Hughes, to discuss his case on a number of occasions.
I appreciate that this is a desperately difficult and distressing time for Mr Johal, his family and many in the Sikh community, and I will continue to follow his case closely.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.