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Evening Standard
· collected 2026-10-01 · by Press Association Scotland
Jagtar Singh Johal, a 39-year-old from Dumbarton, Scotland, who was arrested by Indian authorities in 2017 on terrorism charges and has been detained since, was released from prison on bail Thursday. His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, confirmed the release after nine years of legal battles, stating that while Jagtar is out of prison, he remains under restrictive conditions and still faces potential capital punishment. Scottish First Minister John Swinney welcomed the release but noted it does not resolve all issues surrounding Jagtar's case.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
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
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.
Read More
“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.
“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 → say → evidence
“His bail conditions deny him any semblance of a normal life.
asserted
conditions → deny → life
First Minister John Swinney said Jagtar Singh Johal’s release from prison is a “step forward and a welcomed one.”
asserted
release → say → prison
He said: “I’m very pleased to hear that Jagtar Singh Johal has been released from prison.
asserted
Johal → say → prison
This has been a long and difficult period for him and for his family, and I am glad to reach the point where the process can take its course without him being imprisoned.
asserted
him → reach → course
“It’s a significant step forward and a welcomed one.”
asserted
It → ’ → ?
Mr Swinney also said he would like to see Mr Johal return to Scotland.
asserted
Johal → say → Scotland
He said: “Obviously, that would be preferable if that was the case.
asserted
that → say → ?
But the Indian judicial system will have to determine its own conditions.
asserted
system → have → conditions
But it’s really welcome news that he’s been released from prison after such a long wait.
asserted
he → ’ → wait
”
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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