Jaggi Johal Walks Free After Nine Years as Delhi High Court Grants Bailਨੌਂ ਸਾਲ ਬਾਅਦ ਜੇਲ੍ਹੋਂ ਰਿਹਾਅ ਹੋਇਆ ਜੱਗੀ ਜੌਹਲ, ਮਿਲੀ ਜ਼ਮਾਨਤ

Jagtar Singh Johal, the British national known as Jaggi Johal who has been lodged in Indian jails since 2017 without a conviction, has finally been released from prison after the Delhi High Court granted him bail in seven cases investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The release, reported by BBC News Punjabi on Thursday, brings an end to nearly nine years of pre-trial detention for the 39-year-old from Dumbarton, Scotland, whose case has been raised repeatedly by British officials, Scottish ministers and a United Nations working group on arbitrary detention.

Arrested weeks after his wedding

Johal was arrested in Punjab on November 4, 2017, just weeks after his wedding in India. The NIA accused him of being part of an alleged Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) terror conspiracy, claiming he carried GBP 3,000 from the United Kingdom to France and delivered it to KLF chief Harminder Singh Mintoo to recruit co-accused Hardeep Singh for executing targeted killings and terror activities in Punjab. He was charged under the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

His family and supporters have long maintained that the case against him is baseless and have campaigned under the slogan #FreeJaggiNow. Last year, Johal was acquitted in one case in which he was accused of financially supporting a terror group, though federal charges in connected cases continued.

Court cites right to speedy trial

On September 18, 2026, a Division Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja set aside the trial court's orders refusing bail and directed his release. The court held that Johal's fundamental right to a speedy trial under Article 21 of the Constitution outweighed the stringent bail restrictions of Section 43D(5) of the UAPA, noting he had spent more than eight years in continuous custody while only about 40 of over 160 prosecution witnesses had been examined.

The court imposed strict conditions: a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two sureties of the same amount, surrender of his passport, use of a single mobile phone that must remain switched on, fortnightly reporting to the investigating officer, and a bar on contacting or influencing witnesses.

Relief for family, cautious next steps

Johal's brother Gurpreet Singh Johal, who announced the bail order, said the family hoped to bring him home once the paperwork was complete. Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the bail as 'a significant and positive development' for Johal and his family.

The bail does not end the trials, which will continue under the conditions set by the High Court. But for a case that became a fixture of India-UK diplomatic conversations, the sight of Johal walking out of prison marks a decisive turning point.