Warinder Juss

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for West Dunbartonshire (Douglas McAllister) for his tireless work on behalf of Jagtar Singh Johal and his family. I know about that work, because I have had regular meetings with my hon. Friend about his constituent. I thank him for his efforts, and for the open and collaborative way in which he has always engaged with me. In my constituency of Wolverhampton West, some 15% of the population is Sikh—one of the highest percentages in the country. Sikh and non-Sikh constituents have contacted me, deeply concerned about Jagtar’s treatment and the way that his case has been handled, and urging the Government to do more to ensure the just resolution of his case. When I previously raised Jagtar’s case in the House, I mentioned the United Nations working group’s finding that his detention was arbitrary and his fair trial rights had been violated. The allegations of torture and the extraordinary delays in the proceedings remain deeply troubling. It appears that the rules of natural justice and the rule of law simply did not apply to Jagtar’s case. I warmly welcome Jagtar’s release on bail. For him and his family, who have had so many setbacks, this is an immensely important step, but the conditions of his bail are still unfair. His passport has been surrendered, his freedom remains severely restricted and he cannot come home to Scotland. He continues to face allegations that could result in the death penalty. His release from prison is certainly not the end of our efforts. Next month, it will be nine years since Jagtar was arrested on the streets of Punjab in India, but nine years later, there has not been a single conviction against Jagtar. Those are years that Jagtar and his family can never recover, and they have endured great suffering during that period. I urge the Government to use every diplomatic channel available, at the highest level, to secure a resolution of Jagtar’s case without any further delay, so that he can safely return home. Will the Minister explain what steps are being taken to achieve this? How many times have we heard in this House that justice delayed is justice denied? Jagtar Singh Johal has already had his justice delayed for far too long.