Scot Jagtar Singh Johal detained for seven years in India acquitted in 'big victory'
Calls for UK government to bring Scot home after major court ruling
A Scottish man who has been imprisoned in India without trial for more than seven years has been acquitted on all charges in the first case against him.
In what represents a major development in the long fight for justice waged by the family of Jagtar Singh Johal, the 37 year-old was acquitted after appearing by court by video link in Moga, Punjab on Tuesday morning, intensifying calls for the UK government to secure his return home to Scotland.
The Scot faces nine cases against him in India, eight of which are in the federal court. His family and campaigners now hope that he will be acquitted in the remaining cases, allowing him to walk free.
Mr Johal, from Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire, was arrested after attending his wedding in Punjab in northern India in November 2017, since which time he has been held over alleged terror offences in the country.
The central allegation is that he transferred money in the knowledge the money would be used to fund a series of attacks against Hindu nationalists and other religious leaders in Punjab. But Mr Johal and his family have long maintained his innocence, and say he was subjected to a coerced confession before being confronted with a slew of further charges.
The Sikh activist claims to have been beaten and tortured by Indian police, alleging officers attached electrodes to his ear, nipples and genitals, and threatened to burn him alive. The United Nations working group on arbitrary detention warned three years ago there was no legal basis for Mr Johal's continued detention.
Mr Johal’s brother, Gurpreet, said: “This is a big, big victory, and the family and myself are so grateful for [the] continued support. Now we need to get the UK government to bring Jagtar back home.”
He added: “We’ve always said the allegations against Jagtar are baseless, and now the court in Punjab has agreed. The whole case against him has been exposed as a fabrication. This demolishes the eight [Indian] National Investigation Agency cases - there’s nothing left.
“Jagtar has not been able to hug his wife for seven years. All this time, he’s been locked up in an Indian jail for something he didn’t do. I will only believe this nightmare is over when he’s here with us at home, but today feels like a significant moment. Surely, the UK government recognises that this injustice cannot continue?”
Mr Johal’s MP, Douglas McAllister, said: “The government must act now to secure Jagtar’s release. This is a unique opportunity to secure a resolution with the Indian authorities and bring this young British man back to his family in Dumbarton. Without decisive diplomatic action, he faces being imprisoned for decades while the remaining trials drag on, despite the complete lack of credible evidence against him.”
The human rights group, Reprieve, which spearheaded a long-standing campaign for the Scot's release, said prosecutors had produced “no credible evidence” linking Mr Johal with the crimes he was charged with.
The organisation’s deputy executive director, Dan Dolan, said: “For Jagtar to remain imprisoned and facing a death sentence after this acquittal would be a mockery of justice. The eight essentially duplicate cases against him flagrantly violate the ‘double jeopardy’ principle, which protects people from being put on trial twice for the same crime and is enshrined in both international and Indian law. The remaining cases against him should be dropped and Jagtar set free.”
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