A Scottish man being held in India on suspicion of terrorism has been demanded to be released immediately by Humza Yousaf.
Since 2017, Jagtar Singh Johal of Dumbarton has been detained without being found guilty.
The first minister declared he was "gravely concerned" about Mr. Johal's situation and that he would bring it up with the Indian and British governments directly.
The Indian ministers' handling of Mr. Johal's case had repeatedly been brought up, according to the UK government.
The phone call from Mr. Yousaf follows an encounter with Mr. Johal's brother Gurpreet at the Scottish Parliament.
The first minister praised the "resilience" of Mr. Johal's family and declared his agreement with a panel of UN experts who found the 36-year-old's detention to be "arbitrary" and without a valid reason.
In relation to Mr. Johal's case, he added, the Indian authorities had a "choice.".
According to Mr. Yousaf, if there is evidence pertaining to Jagtar Singh Johal, then obviously due process should be followed.
"If the evidence is insufficient and he has served 2,000 days in prison, he should be released.
"What I've heard from Jagtar's family about the glacial pace of the court process is very concerning, in my opinion. ".
The UK government was urged by Mr. Yousaf to demand the release of Mr. Johal by using "every lever they have at their disposal.".
In November 2017 after his wedding, Mr. Johal was detained in Punjab, a region in northern India.
According to his family, officers in plainclothes grabbed him off the street and put a bag over his head before hauling him away in an unmarked car.
He has been held in custody ever since, and he claims that in the beginning of his detention, Punjab Police officers had mistreated and tortured him.
Numerous pre-trial hearings have taken place in his case, and a UN panel of experts last year concluded that his imprisonment was caused by his Sikh faith, calling for his immediate release.
The Indian government denied Mr. Johal had been mistreated or tortured and claimed he was a member of a terrorist organization that was responsible for the assassinations of right-wing Hindu religious and political leaders in the nation.
Mr. Johal has pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism and murder.
His supporters claim that although his trial has begun, it has been delayed by procedural issues and has not yet heard any substantial evidence.
The first minister's call for Mr. Johal's release was warmly received by his family, who claim there is no concrete evidence of his involvement in the killings.
He was "grateful" for the meeting with Mr. Yousaf, his brother Gurpreet Singh Johal told the BBC. .
"He's been following Jagtar's case for a while, knows he's been detained arbitrarily, and told me he'll do everything he can to bring my brother home," the man said.
"The Scottish government's position is clear and unequivocal: there is no legal basis for Jagtar's detention and he should be set free. ".
Despite having the authority to demand his brother's release, he claimed that the UK government, which oversees cases involving British nationals detained abroad, had so far refrained from doing so.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 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.
. "