Scottish Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal released on bail in India

Scottish Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal left Delhi’s Tihar prison on Thursday, 1 October, almost nine years after he was arrested in India. He has not been convicted. The Delhi High Court granted him bail on 18 September, but he remained in custody until Thursday. [1] [3]

The Guardian reported that his lawyers petitioned the court over the delay and that it ordered his release that afternoon. [3]

The September ruling granted bail in seven cases brought by India’s National Investigation Agency. The court cited Johal’s prolonged detention and slow progress at trial: 40 witnesses had been heard, and it was told that another 123 remained. It also considered his acquittal in a separate case in Moga last year persuasive when deciding bail, without treating it as a decision on the other prosecutions. [2] [5]

Indian investigators allege Johal helped fund a conspiracy linked to attacks in Punjab. He denies involvement. The BBC reports that eight federal cases remain and that he could face the death penalty. A UN working group concluded in 2021 that his detention was arbitrary and that he had been tortured; India denied the torture allegations and said it had submitted evidence to the trial court. [1] [4]