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Evening Standard
· collected 2026-10-01 · by Press Association Scotland
Jagtar Singh Johal, a Scottish man detained in India since 2017 on terrorism charges, was released from prison on bail after being granted conditional release by Delhi High Court. His brother confirmed his release but noted restrictive conditions including surrendering his passport and facing ongoing trials with potential death penalties. The UK Government is now under pressure to assist Johal’s repatriation following his acquittal in a previous case last year.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Jagtar Singh Johal, a British Sikh activist from Dumbarton, was released on bail from Delhi's Tihar Prison after nearly nine years in detention without trial. Johal had been arrested by Indian authorities in November 2017 on alleged terrorism charges shortly after his wedding. Despite an earlier court order granting him bail, he remained imprisoned until Thursday when the high court warned the government it would face contempt of court if it continued to detain him.
Johal’s supporters, including human rights organization Reprieve and his brother Gurpreet Singh Johal, have claimed that the British government's inaction has contributed to his long detention. Though released on bail, Jagtar faces restrictive conditions which include surrendering his passport and is still under trial for several cases that could result in capital punishment.
Gurpreet expressed mixed emotions upon seeing his brother walk out of prison gates, noting nine years filled with setbacks and disappointments. He urged the UK government to take more action to bring Jagtar home safely.
Written for “British Sikh Activist Release India” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, was arrested by Indian authorities in 2017 over alleged terrorism offences, just weeks after his wedding.
asserted
Johal → arrest → wedding
On Thursday, human rights organisation Reprieve confirmed the 39-year-old had been released from prison on bail.
asserted
old → confirm → bail
Delhi High Court had previously announced Mr Johal had been granted bail, but he was only able to walk free on Thursday morning.
asserted
he → announce → morning
Mr Johal’s supporters say he faces restrictive bail conditions and has had to surrender his passport, while remaining on trial in several cases which could end in capital punishment.
uncertain
which → say → punishment
His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, had earlier said he had completed all necessary paperwork needed to grant him his freedom.
asserted
he → say → freedom
Referring to his brother’s release on Thursday, he said: “There have been so many setbacks and disappointments in the last nine years that I didn’t dare to believe it until I saw Jagtar walking out of the prison gates with my own eyes.
asserted
Jagtar → refer → eyes
“The last two weeks have been torture – knowing that Jagtar had been granted bail but the authorities were refusing to let him out.
“I’ll sleep well tonight, knowing that he’s not behind bars.
asserted
he → know → bars
Tomorrow morning, the fight continues, because he’s still on trial and facing the death penalty for something he didn’t do, trapped in a sham legal process designed to punish him for standing up for human rights.
asserted
he → continue → rights
“We’ll keep on fighting until he’s home with us.
asserted
he → keep → us
Now it’s over to the UK Government to get it done.”
asserted
it → ’ → Government
Reprieve deputy executive director Dan Dolan said: “While tonight is the first night in almost nine years that Jagtar Singh Johal is not caged in a prison cell, he still has the threat of a death sentence hanging over him.
“
asserted
threat → say → him
It should also be noted that despite bail being ordered, the prison refused to release Jagtar until his family brought a habeas corpus petition and a judge warned the jail they’d be found in contempt of court.
asserted
they → note → court
“Jagtar remains on trial in cases that could last for decades and end in capital punishment, centred on a baseless allegation that has been thrown out in court for lack of evidence.
uncertain
that → remain → evidence
His bail conditions deny him any semblance of a normal life.
asserted
conditions → deny → life
Scottish First Minister John Swinney previously welcomed news that he was to be released.
asserted
he → welcome → news
Mr Swinney said: “The Scottish Government has consistently called for Mr Johal’s release and repeatedly raised concerns about his prolonged detention, including in light of the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
asserted
Government → say → Detention
“While I recognise that legal proceedings remain ongoing, this is a significant and positive development for Mr Johal, his wife and his family, who have campaigned tirelessly on his behalf.”
asserted
who → recognise → behalf
Mr Johal was acquitted last year in a case in which he was accused of financially supporting a terror group but he still faces federal charges in the country related to the same allegations.
asserted
he → acquit → allegations
A group of UN experts said his imprisonment is an example of arbitrary detention, where a person is jailed without a legal basis, and said he has endured “a form of psychological torture”.
Indian authorities have previously denied the torture claim and have repeatedly maintained due process is being followed.
uncertain
process → say → claim
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