Dan Dolan from Reprieve stated that despite Jagtar Singh Johal's release on bail from an Indian jail earlier in the week, he remains under strict conditions and is at risk due to ongoing legal cases that could result in capital punishment. Labour MP Alasdair McAllister called for Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure Johal’s return home to Dumbarton. Johal was arrested in 2017 on alleged terrorism charges shortly after traveling to India, with his supporters alleging torture leading to false confessions.
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.
Dan Dolan, the deputy chief executive officer of the human rights organisation Reprieve, said that although Jagtar Singh Johal may have been released from prison on bail on Thursday, he is “still in really grave danger” and under “very serious restrictions” while he is in Delhi.
uncertain
he → say → Delhi
Mr Johal, a human rights activist from Dumbarton, travelled to India to get married in 2017, but just weeks later he was arrested over alleged terrorism offences, with his supporters saying he was tortured.
asserted
he → travel → offences
Those campaigning on Mr Johal’s behalf say while he has been released from prison he still faces restrictive bail conditions and has had to surrender his passport – while also still facing trial in a number of remaining cases which could end in capital punishment.
uncertain
which → campaign → punishment
Speaking about Mr Johal, the campaigner said: “He is still facing the death penalty on what are completely trumped-up political charges, which are based on a confession he gave under torture, so it is a forced confession.”
asserted
it → speak → torture
Mr Dolan continued: “While he’s in Delhi he’s under extremely stringent bail conditions.
asserted
he → continue → conditions
He is not able to travel without permission to see his family elsewhere in the country, he is not able to speak about the case.
asserted
he → travel → case
“His safety and security is under question because he doesn’t have family in Delhi, he has just been released into the city.
asserted
he → have → city
“It’s a really dangerous and precarious situation for him, not least because the death sentence remains hanging over his head.”
asserted
sentence → ’ → head
Read More
He insisted: “What needs to happen is the UK Foreign Office needs to negotiate with its Indian counterparts and get Jagtar back to his home and family back to Dumbarton.”
asserted
Office → read → Dumbarton
Mr Dolan added: “We really need to bring this to a close now, it has dragged on far too long.”
asserted
it → add → close
His comments came after Mr McAllister, the MP for West Dunbartonshire, insisted that as far as the case is concerned, “the fight is not over”.
asserted
fight → come → Dunbartonshire
Speaking about Mr Johal, the MP said: “He’s subject to bail, but he can’t leave India.
asserted
he → speak → India
These charges, if convicted, carry the death penalty.
asserted
charges → convict → penalty
“So successive governments and successive foreign secretaries have failed Jagtar previously.
asserted
governments → fail → Jagtar
“Their actions haven’t been good enough, and our new foreign secretary must push much harder now to bring a swift conclusion to these cases.”
asserted
secretary → push → cases
Mr McAllister, Labour MP for West Dunbartonshire, said that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband earlier this month assured him that the case remains a priority for him and called on him to press for a swift resolution.
asserted
case → say → resolution
He said the Government needs to “reset” its approach to fighting the “ongoing injustice” and push harder for a diplomatic solution.
asserted
Government → say → solution
Calling for action from Mr Miliband, he insisted: “He has to do more to bring Jagtar home, to bring him home to Dumbarton, to his family where he belongs.”
asserted
he → call → family
On Thursday Mr Johal’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, told the Press Association his release was “a moment of joy but also of sorrow” that it has taken nearly nine years “to get to this stage”.
asserted
it → tell → stage
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
The Aporia
