Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail by Delhi High Court but remains in India
Delhi High Court has granted bail to British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, but he remains in custody with conditions including surrendering his passport.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The family of Jagtar Singh Johal, a Scottish Sikh activist from Dumbarton, has said he has been granted bail by the Delhi High Court after nearly nine years in Indian prison without conviction. The 39-year-old was arrested in November 2017, just weeks after his wedding, over alleged terror offences. He has consistently denied the charges and has never been convicted.
In a hearing this morning, his brother logged on to the court and heard the judges grant bail. "The judges came on the bench and just called Jagtar's name in terms of the case and said bail granted," his brother said. The family described the moment as emotional, with Jagtar's wife hugging him and saying "finally we've got good news, finally he's going to be out of jail."
However, bail conditions mean he will not return to the UK immediately. He must surrender his passport, refrain from speaking to the media, and pay a bond of nearly £4,000. He will remain in India while the legal cases continue. His legal team has warned that he is "not out of the woods" and still faces the death penalty in some charges.
The case has attracted international attention. In March 2025, he was acquitted in one of the cases against him, with the judge saying the prosecution had "miserably failed to provide credible evidence." But he still faces eight other charges, which his family and legal team describe as duplicates following the same allegation patterns. A United Nations panel recognised his detention as arbitrary in 2022, and a group of UN legal experts later called for all charges to be dropped, describing it as a "profound miscarriage of justice."
His brother has been critical of the British government, saying it has failed Jagtar over the years. "Just because the government have failed him over the last nine years doesn't mean the campaign, the family, the community, reprieve, redress are going to fail him," he said. The Foreign Office says it continues to raise concerns with the Indian government and is in touch with the family. Scotland's First Minister John Swinney welcomed the bail decision, saying he hoped the family would be reunited soon.
The Indian authorities have repeatedly insisted that due process was followed and that it is for the courts to decide the outcome. They have denied allegations of torture. Jagtar's family and supporters maintain he was coerced into signing a false confession.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi High Court granted bail in all seven cases against Johal. | · | |||||
| Jagtar Singh Johal was acquitted of all charges in one case in March 2025. | · | · | ||||
| Johal was arrested in India in 2017, days after his wedding. | · | · | ||||
| Jagtar Singh Johal was detained for nearly nine years without conviction. | · | · | · | |||
| A UN panel recognised Johal's imprisonment as arbitrary detention in 2022. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Bail conditions required surrendering his passport and refraining from speaking to the media. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Indian authorities deny allegations that Jagtar Singh Johal was tortured. | · | · | · | · | ||
| The family of Jagtar Singh Johal has criticised the UK government for not helping enough. | · | · | · | · | ||
| The UK Foreign Office said faster progress is needed to reach a resolution in the case. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Bail conditions included a bond of nearly £4,000. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| He could be released as early as next week. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| He remained in prison despite bail being granted. | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News framed the news as a breaking story, relying on the family's Twitter claim that he had been released. It stressed the overturning of a previous High Court decision and noted the UN panel's recognition of arbitrary detention.
- “Delhi High Court has overturned the previous High Court's decision of September 2024 and granted GB national Jagtar Singh Johal bail in all seven cases.”
- “His imprisonment had been recognised by a UN panel as arbitrary detention in 2022.”
- “Time to bring him home his family say.”
BBC News Now focused on the family's emotional reaction and the argument that the remaining cases are duplicates. It highlighted the acquittal in one case and the brother's description of a 'light at the end of the tunnel.'
- “It's a moment where at last we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel where Jagtar would be at least at liberty as a result of today's outcome.”
- “The rest of the eight cases are duplicate of the same charges in which we've always said it's double jeopardy.”
- “His arrest has been described by the United Nations as arbitrary detention and Mr Johal says he's been tortured.”
Channel 4's summary gave a brief mention of the bail news, adding the detail that supporters said he was coerced into signing a false confession. It kept the focus on the core fact of bail being granted.
- “A family of a Scottish man who was jailed in India for almost nine years without being convicted say he's been granted bail.”
- “His supporters say he was coerced into signing a false confession.”
5 News gave a short, factual report, noting the brother's claim that he could be released as early as next week. It emphasised the timing of the arrest just after his wedding.
- “A Scottish man who has been detained in India for nearly nine years without conviction has been granted bail, his family has said.”
- “His brother says he could be released as early as next week.”
BBC ONE West provided a detailed report with the brother's emotional account of the court hearing, clarifying that he remains in prison and detailing bail conditions. It included the Foreign Office's position and Indian authorities' response.
- “The judges came on the bench and just called Jagtar's name in terms of the case and said bail granted.”
- “But Jagtar Singh Johal remains in prison.”
- “I want to stress that while it's really positive that this order has been handed down and Jagtar should absolutely not be in prison a day longer, he has not been released yet.”
BBC News Verified Live used the same detailed report as BBC ONE West, focusing on the family's relief, bail conditions, and the need for vigilance until implementation. It also highlighted the brother's call for the Foreign Office to negotiate Jagtar's return.
- “The judges came on the bench and just called Jagtar's name in terms of the case and said bail granted.”
- “But Jagtar Singh Johal remains in prison.”
- “I want to stress that while it's really positive that this order has been handed down and Jagtar should absolutely not be in prison a day longer, he has not been released yet.”
Sky News Today focused on the brother's criticism of the British government and the fact that Johal was acquitted last year but still faces federal charges. It highlighted the family's determination and the campaign's continuation.
- “Just because the government have failed him over the last nine years doesn't mean the campaign, the family, the community, reprieve, redress are going to fail him.”
- “If the Indians had any evidence against him, they should have put it just and convicted him.”
- “The family of a Scottish man who's been detained in India for nearly nine years without conviction say he's been granted bail.”
This BBC ONE West report added specific details about the allegations, including the claimed £3,000 payment to the Khalistan Liberation Force, while maintaining the focus on the bail decision and the family's reaction.
- “The authorities allege he handed £3,000 to the Khalistan Liberation Force to buy weapons to kill political and religious leaders.”
- “But Jagtar Singh Johal remains in prison.”
- “I want to stress that while it's really positive that this order has been handed down and Jagtar should absolutely not be in prison a day longer, he has not been released yet.”
ITV Evening News highlighted the specific bail terms, including the £4,000 bond and the requirement to remain in India, and included the brother's relief that they can finally communicate freely. It also noted the family's criticism of the UK government.
- “Whilst he's not going to be back home, we do have a home back home in India. At least he'll be able to call us when he wants. We can call him when we want.”
- “Today, as Jagpal is granted bail, the family say they are relieved and can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
- “The family has criticised the UK government for not helping enough.”
Channel 4 News produced the most comprehensive report, covering the bail conditions, the death penalty warning, the acquittal reason, cross-party MPs' letter, UN experts' criticism, and an interview with the brother criticising the UK government. It framed the story as an ongoing legal battle.
- “He is not out of the woods and he's still facing the death penalty.”
- “It should not have to take families to push the government for them to protect a citizen. And Jagtar is a born and bred British national.”
- “You continuously hear that they have raised Jagtar's case. Nobody knows what raised means, but have they actually spoken to them and said, what is it that needs to be done to bring Jagtar back home?”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.