Jagtar Singh Johal released from Delhi jail after court warning

British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal was released from a Delhi jail on bail on Thursday, 1 October, after nearly nine years in Indian custody. The release followed a Delhi High Court bail order made on 18 September and, according to The Guardian, a further warning that authorities risked contempt proceedings if they continued to hold him. He remains on trial in federal cases, so leaving prison does not resolve the allegations against him.

Johal, from Dumbarton in Scotland, was arrested in November 2017 in connection with alleged terror offences. STV News reported that his brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, saw him walk out of the prison gates on Thursday. The family had spent almost two weeks waiting for his release after the bail ruling, his brother said.

Why Jagtar Singh Johal was released after the bail order

The High Court granted bail on 18 September in appeals concerning seven cases brought by India's National Investigation Agency. Its judgment said Johal had been held for more than eight years and that the trials were unlikely to finish soon. The court recorded that 40 witnesses had been examined and around 123 more remained. The Indian Express reported that the judges also cited delays in the prosecution producing verifiable evidence.

The 18 September ruling cleared a legal path to release, but Johal remained in custody. The Guardian reported that his lawyers brought a habeas corpus petition alleging that he was still being held despite the court's direction and having met his bail conditions. Documents presented by the lawyers showed that prison officials had sought guidance from the Ministry of Home Affairs and had received no reply, according to the newspaper.

What the bail conditions require

Bail brings substantial restrictions. The High Court's 18 September judgment required Johal to surrender any passport, provide a personal bond of 500,000 rupees with two sureties for the same amount, report to the investigating officer every fortnight and cooperate with trial hearings. He must give advance written notice of changes to his residence or contact details.

The judgment also bars him from contacting or influencing witnesses, tampering with evidence and making public statements about the merits or evidence in his cases. The Guardian reported a further restriction on travel to Punjab. Those terms mean that his release from jail is conditional while the proceedings continue; they do not amount to an acquittal in the federal cases.

What remains before the Indian courts

Johal was acquitted in a separate Punjab case in March 2025, according to the High Court judgment, which noted that prosecutors had not challenged that result. The acquittal did not dispose of the seven National Investigation Agency cases covered by September's bail order. Those cases include allegations connected with targeted killings in Punjab. Johal disputes the allegations, and the bail decision did not determine guilt.

The prosecution has alleged that Johal helped transfer £3,000 in support of a conspiracy; his counsel contested the allegation, according to the High Court judgment. The Guardian reported the Indian government's allegation that he had knowledge of a Khalistan Liberation Force plot. These remain allegations before the courts. Johal has also said that initial confessions were extracted under torture; Indian authorities have denied torture claims and maintained that due process is being followed, STV News reported.

Johal's brother welcomed seeing him leave prison but said the legal fight would continue. In comments reported by STV News, he called on the UK government to help bring Johal home to Scotland. Reprieve's deputy executive director, Dan Dolan, said Johal still faced the possibility of a death sentence and criticised the delay between the bail order and release. Neither the date of the next hearing nor the likely duration of the remaining trials was established in the available reporting.