THE wife of an imprisoned Dumbarton man has been granted leave to remain in the UK from immigrant judges.

Jagtar Singh Johal, more commonly known as Jaggi, has been imprisoned for more than 1,000 days after being arrested two weeks after his Punjabi wedding in India in November 2017.

The 33-year-old was abducted in the street by unknown men when the Indian authorities said they had evidence to convict Jagtar of his involvement in an assassination plot against right-wing Hindu leaders, but the case has yet to come to court.

The Sikh blogger says he was tortured by Punjab police and his Dumbarton family believe he was targeted over his nationality, Sikh ethnicity and blogging about India’s mass Hindu-on-Sikh violence in 1984.

His family say Jaggi claims of torture have never been investigated and that they haven’t heard from him for a year.

Jaggi’s wife, whose identity is protected, came to the UK in April 2019 and was embroiled in a battle with the Home Office to allow her to stay.

Gurpreet Singh Johal, Jaggi’s brother, who is an immigration and asylum solicitor, submitted an application calling on the Home Office to allow her to remain in Scotland due to her circumstances before her visa expired.

The bid was refused in January and an appeal was lodged, which was heard last Thursday, October 22.

That appeal was successful, and Jaggi’s wife will now be allowed to continue to stay in the country.

Speaking after the result was announced, Gurpreeet said: “After heartache with the Home Office refusal, the Home Office forced us to appeal the decision.

“The immigration judge allowed the appeal and has accepted that Jaggi’s wife should remain in the UK.

“This has only been possible with the wide support that we’ve had from the community and wider circles.”

West Dunbartonshire MP Martin Docherty-Hughes also welcomed the verdict.

He said: “Winning this appeal against the Home Office has come as a welcome relief for the family at a difficult time as they face the third anniversary since Jagtar was first arrested and allegedly tortured.

"However, I find it appalling that rather than showing the Singh Johals compassion and support, the UK Home Office should choose to put them through the threat of a deportation hearing at this time.

"My constituents feel badly let down by the UK Government, especially the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who appears uninterested in Jaggi's plight and turns a blind eye to the family's campaign for justice.

"Despite countless court hearings, my constituent - a British Citizen - remains incarcerated abroad without conviction nor any evidence presented against him.

"I will continue doing all I can as the family's MP to press this UK Government to safeguard Jagtar's human rights and speak up for fairness, justice and due process."