THE family of a Dumbarton man imprisoned in India say they fear he will be stuck there for 40 years due to delays in the Indian justice system.

Two thousand days have now passed since the arrest of Jagtar Singh Johal on November 4, 2017.

Speaking as campaigners mark the devastating anniversary, Jagtar’s brother Gurpreet Singh Johal said he could be in his 70s by the time the trial is estimated to be completed.

The 36-year-old – known as Jaggi – was arrested after his wedding, accused of helping to fund a Sikh-on-Hindu assassination plot, something he and his family strongly deny.

An investigation by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined there was no legal basis for Jagtar’s detention in India.

The probe cited multiple violations of the Scottish Sihk’s human rights – including claims he was tortured into signing a false ‘confession’.

Martin Docherty-Hughes, West Dunbartonshire’s MP, has been leading a cross-party campaign pressing UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to intervene in the case.

The UK Government has been criticised for failing to secure Jagtar’s release amidst claims ‘ministers are prioritising a trade deal with India over the human rights of a British citizen’.

The local MP said: “As we mark the 2,000th day of Jagtar’s imprisonment, the UK government has massive questions to answer on why it’s going soft on the case when this UK citizen needs them the most.

“Their recent submissions stating that they didn’t believe Jagtar to have been tortured was a slap in the face for his family, who they have strung along for these five and a half years.

“Promises of ‘extreme action’ by Tory Ministers have been unfulfilled and their representations have been weak and predictable.  

“As the UN report clearly stated, Jagtar has been arbitrarily detained – yet the UK and Indian governments remain seemingly the only two actors in the case unable to acknowledge this fact.   

“It’s appalling that while ministers prioritise a trade deal, my constituent is left languishing in prison with no resolution in sight.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We have consistently raised our concerns about Mr Johal’s case directly with the Government of India, including his allegations of torture and his right to a fair trial - we are committed to doing what we can to assist him.”