The Delhi High Court has granted bail to British national Jagtar Singh Johal in seven murder and terrorism-related cases, according to DW. The decision clears the way for his conditional release after nearly nine years in Indian custody, although it does not resolve the allegations against him or determine his guilt or innocence.
Johal, a Sikh rights campaigner from Dumbarton, Scotland, was arrested in Punjab in 2017, shortly after travelling to India for his wedding. India’s National Investigation Agency accused him of financing and carrying out courier work for the banned Khalistan Liberation Force in connection with targeted killings in Ludhiana and Jalandhar between 2016 and 2017. Johal has denied wrongdoing and said he was tortured into signing a false confession.
DW reported that the court overturned a 2024 decision that had denied bail. In granting release, the court pointed to Johal’s prolonged incarceration and the slow progress of the trial. It noted that 123 witnesses still had to be examined and said proceedings were “certainly not likely to conclude any time soon.”
The ruling comes after Johal was acquitted in a related case last year by a court in Moga, Punjab, while the Delhi proceedings continued. A United Nations working group ruled in May 2022 that his detention was arbitrary. UN human rights experts later described the extended detention without a clear path to trial as unlawful suffering and said the prolonged uncertainty amounted to psychological torture. Indian authorities have rejected the torture allegations and maintained that due process was followed.
The court imposed strict conditions on the bail. They include surrendering Johal’s passport, limits on communication and social media activity, and regular reporting to the investigating officer. DW said prosecutors may seek to revoke bail if those conditions are breached.
Johal’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, who has campaigned for his release, called the ruling “a huge relief,” according to the BBC as cited by DW. He said he was thinking about Jagtar walking out of prison after learning of the decision.