Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when officials of his Department last made representations to their Indian counterparts on the case of Jagtar Singh Johal.

We regularly raise Mr Johal's case directly with the Government of India at official and Ministerial level. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr Johal's case with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on 6 May. The Secretary of State for International Trade raised the case with the Indian Minister for Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, on 5 February. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, raised Mr Johal's case with the Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kishan Reddy and with Minister Prasad on 15 March during his visit to India. Lord Ahmad also raised Mr Johal's case with the Indian High Commissioner on 16 April. On 7 April, officials at the British High Commission in New Delhi wrote to the Indian Government, raising Mr Johal's allegation that he was threatened with torture in police custody in January 2021, and emphasising the need for a prompt and independent investigation. This Government will continue to look to raise our concerns about Mr Johal's case at all appropriate opportunities.