British Sikh activist released from Delhi jail after nine-year detention

A British Sikh activist detained in India for almost a decade has been released from a Delhi prison following a judicial ultimatum threatening officials with contempt of court.

Jagtar Singh Johal left custody late Thursday afternoon after the Delhi High Court ordered authorities to free him by 2:30 p.m. local time, according to the Guardian. Judges gave Indian authorities a three-hour deadline to act on an earlier bail ruling or face immediate contempt proceedings. Johal was welcomed outside the facility by relatives and supporters carrying flowers.

The activist had been granted bail on September 18, but prison officials kept him detained while waiting for guidance from India's Ministry of Home Affairs. Johal's legal team, acting on behalf of his father-in-law, filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that holding him without judicial authorization violated fundamental constitutional rights. Court filings indicated that communications sent from the prison to the ministry regarding his release had gone unanswered.

Johal, who has spent nearly nine years in confinement without facing a full trial, was arrested on November 4, 2017. Indian authorities accuse him of having full awareness of a conspiracy orchestrated by the Khalistan Liberation Force, alleging that he moved 3,000 pounds to France to help finance targeted assassinations in Punjab between 2016 and 2017. Johal maintains that early confessions were obtained through torture. While a Punjab court previously cleared him of comparable allegations, he still faces eight federal terrorism charges.

His extended imprisonment has long strained diplomatic relations between India and the United Kingdom. Advocacy organizations and his family have frequently argued that the British government did not exert sufficient pressure to secure his freedom or ensure a speedy trial. Human rights group Reprieve noted that proceedings have stalled primarily because prosecutors have struggled to produce credible witnesses. The UK Foreign Office supported recent appeals to enforce the bail decree alongside groups including Reprieve and Redress.

The release is subject to 11 strict conditions. Johal was required to surrender his passport, post a bond of 500,000 Indian rupees alongside two sureties, report to investigators every two weeks, give advance notice of any residential move, and observe a travel prohibition regarding Punjab. The court also barred him from discussing the legal proceedings with news media.

Relatives and advocates emphasized that his legal ordeal is far from resolved. Johal's brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, expressed profound relief at seeing him exit the prison gates after years of frustration, but emphasized that his brother still faces trial and the possibility of capital punishment. Reprieve deputy executive director Dan Dolan similarly warned that while Johal is out of his cell, severe charges remain hanging over him.