New Delhi, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India is in touch with British authorities over the arrest of Indian merchant navy captain Ajay Pant in the United Kingdom and is making efforts to ensure his safety and well-being, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had been in contact with Pant’s lawyers and family. The Indian High Commission in London has also made several visits to check on his well-being and facilitated visits by his family, particularly his wife.
“We have been in touch with the lawyers of Captain Pant as well as his family. The High Commission has paid several visits to Captain Pant to check on his well-being. We have also facilitated the visit of his family members, his wife in particular,” Jaiswal said during the MEA’s bi-weekly media briefing.
He said Pant’s wife last visited him on November 9. India has also taken up the matter with the UK High Commission in New Delhi and the UK Foreign Office. Pant is currently in judicial custody in the UK and is receiving consular assistance from the Indian High Commission in London.
A resident of Uttarakhand, Pant was reportedly arrested in June after British forces and the UK’s National Crime Agency intercepted the oil tanker Smyrtos, which he was captaining, in the English Channel.
He has been charged with offences linked to sanctions on Russian oil, which carry a maximum prison term of 10 years. Pant was the only one of the 24 crew members to face charges and has denied any wrongdoing.
He is being held at HMP Winchester, with his trial expected to begin on December 15. His wife, Ritu Pant, has maintained that he was made a scapegoat and was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
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