Scottish Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal freed on bail after nine years in Indian prison

A Scottish Sikh activist has been released on bail after spending nearly nine years in an Indian prison without a conviction, according to BBC News.

Jagtar Singh Johal, a 39-year-old from Dumbarton, walked out of Delhi's Tihar Prison complex following a prolonged legal struggle. He was greeted outside the facility by his in-laws, who presented him with flowers and an honorary traditional garment known as a saropau. Upon his release, Johal offered thanks to the almighty while well-wishers gathered to celebrate his freedom.

Johal had been granted bail by the Delhi High Court on September 18, though his actual release took place days later. Under the strict terms of his bail, he has been forced to hand over his passport, cannot leave the country, and is prohibited from discussing his legal case with reporters.

The campaigner was originally taken into custody in Punjab in 2017, only weeks after travelling to India for his wedding. Prosecutors alleged that he was an active member of the Khalistan Liberation Force, an armed separatist group seeking an independent Sikh homeland. Indian officials accused him of journeying to Paris in 2013 to deliver approximately £3,000 to the organisation, claiming the funds were later used to buy firearms for targeted assassinations of political and religious personalities in Punjab between 2016 and 2017.

Johal has consistently maintained his innocence. His relatives and legal representatives maintain that Indian authorities framed him because of his online writing documenting human rights violations against Sikhs. They also stated that investigators coerced him into signing a fabricated confession, and Johal has alleged that he was subjected to torture during his detention. Indian authorities have dismissed the torture accusations and insist legal proceedings have strictly adhered to due process. In 2022, a United Nations panel classified his long-running incarceration as arbitrary detention.

Although Johal won an acquittal last year in one case regarding alleged financial assistance to the banned group, he remained behind bars facing federal charges across eight related matters. Legal advocates point out that these cases carry the risk of the death penalty, even though the allegations are substantially identical to the charge already thrown out. The court noted in its bail ruling that proceedings were not likely to reach a conclusion in the near future after hundreds of hearings stretched over nearly a decade.

Back in Scotland, family members celebrated the development, though they emphasized the battle is far from finished. His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, characterized the exit from prison as an encouraging initial step, noting that the campaign will persist until his brother is fully cleared and returned to Scotland. Human rights organisations, including Reprieve UK and Redress, also voiced concern over the heavy restrictions placed on Johal, warning that the unresolved capital charges and lengthy proceedings continue to place him under severe strain.