Scottish Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail after nine years in Indian custody
The family of Jagtar Singh Johal, a Scottish Sikh activist detained in India for nearly nine years, says a court has released him on bail.
Jagtar Singh Johal, a 39-year-old Sikh activist from Dumbarton, Scotland, was arrested in Punjab in 2017 over alleged involvement in targeted killings and terror financing. After almost nine years without a conviction, a court has now granted him bail, his family announced. Although he was cleared of a financing charge last year, he remains under federal charges in India.
The United Nations panel in 2022 classified his detention as arbitrary, and Johal has claimed he was tortured, a charge the Indian authorities reject. His brother Gurpreet Singh Johal has campaigned for his release, urging the UK to intervene diplomatically, and said a meeting with former Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in December was unsatisfactory. Indian officials maintain that due process is being observed.
Why it matters
The bail decision could affect diplomatic relations and highlights concerns over long-term detention without conviction.
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