British Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal released on bail from Delhi's Tihar Jail after nearly nine years

Jagtar Singh Johal, a British citizen held in India for almost nine years without being convicted, has been released from prison on bail.

Mr Johal, 39, from Dumbarton in Scotland, walked out of Tihar Jail in Delhi on Thursday 1 October. His family met him outside. Footage shared with UB1UB2 by his brother shows the prison gate as he left.

His release came after the Delhi High Court granted him bail on Friday 18 September in seven cases brought by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Arrested weeks after his wedding

Mr Johal was arrested in Punjab in November 2017, a few weeks after he travelled to India for his wedding.

Indian authorities accuse him of taking part in an alleged Khalistan Liberation Force conspiracy linked to a series of targeted killings and attempted murders in Punjab in 2016 and 2017. He has always denied the allegations.

On 4 March 2025, a district court in Moga, Punjab, acquitted him in the first of the cases against him to reach a verdict. He stayed in custody because he still faced eight other cases.

In granting bail, the Delhi High Court noted how long he had already spent in custody. It also said the trial was not likely to finish any time soon, and took into account his earlier acquittal in a case with similar allegations. The court also considered an earlier bail order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, made in March 2022 in another case against him.

Campaign for his release

His detention has become a long-running cause for campaigners and for many British Sikhs. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has said he is being held arbitrarily and should be released.

More than 70 MPs have previously called on the UK government to press for his release. Supporters say he has appeared at around 150 court hearings since his arrest.

Strict conditions while the cases continue

His release does not end the legal proceedings. The court set strict bail conditions. His family say these mean he has had to hand over his British passport, cannot speak publicly about the case and cannot return to the UK while it continues.

So for now he must stay in India while the remaining cases go through the courts.

His brother, Cllr Gurpreet Singh Johal, has led the family's campaign for his release. He has welcomed the release but says it is not over until his brother is back home in the UK.

No date has been set for the end of the remaining trials.