Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Indian government on the detainment of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar.

The British High Commission in India has previously made representations to the Indian authorities about the application of the death penalty, including on the case of Professor Bhullar. We understand that on 31 March 2014, the Supreme Court of India commuted Professor Bhullar’s death sentence to life imprisonment. The continued detention of Professor Bhullar is a matter for the Indian authorities. The UK will continue to monitor cases in India and elsewhere where the death penalty has been given as a sentence.