British Sikh activist freed from Delhi jail after nine years without trial

Jagtar Singh Johal, a British Sikh activist detained in India for nearly nine years without conviction, has been released on bail.

• Johal has been released after the Delhi High Court ordered Indian authorities to free him by 2:30pm or face contempt proceedings.
• The Dumbarton man was detained since 4 November 2017 and faces eight federal terrorism charges for which he could receive the death penalty.
• Bail, granted on 18 September, required surrender of his passport, a 500,000-rupee bond, and bans on travel to Punjab and media comment on the case.
• A UN panel classified his detention as arbitrary in 2022, and he was acquitted last year in a case over financially supporting the Khalistan Liberation Force.