Jagtar Singh Johal, who was jailed in India for nine years, is released on bail - rights group

A British man who has been detained in India for nearly nine years without conviction has been released on bail, according to human rights organisation Reprieve.

Jagtar Singh Johal, 39, from Dumbarton in Scotland, was arrested and bundled into an unmarked car just two weeks after his wedding in Punjab, northern India, in 2017, according to his family.

On 18 September, his brother Gurpreet said Delhi High Court had overturned a previous 2024 decision and granted him bail - but was told he must remain in the country facing trial over alleged terror offences which could end in capital punishment.

Mr Johal's supporters say he faces restrictive bail conditions and has had to surrender his passport.

Referring to his brother's release on Thursday, Gurpreet said: "There have been so many setbacks and disappointments in the last nine years that I didn't dare to believe it until I saw Jagtar walking out of the prison gates with my own eyes.

"The last two weeks have been torture - knowing that Jagtar had been granted bail but the authorities were refusing to let him out.

"I'll sleep well tonight, knowing that he's not behind bars.

"Tomorrow morning, the fight continues, because he's still on trial and facing the death penalty for something he didn't do, trapped in a sham legal process designed to punish him for standing up for human rights.

"We'll keep on fighting until he's home with us. Now it's over to the UK government to get it done."

Mr Johal was acquitted last year amid accusations of financially supporting a terror group, but he still faces federal charges in the country related to the same allegations.

His family say he was detained for blogging about alleged human rights abuses against the Sikh community.

He is said to have been tortured, including with electric shocks, and forced to sign a confession to being part of an assassination plot as a result of his campaigning for Sikh rights.

A group of UN experts have previously said his imprisonment is an example of arbitrary detention, where a person is jailed without a legal basis, and claimed he has endured "a form of psychological torture".

Indian authorities have previously denied the torture claim and have repeatedly maintained due process is being followed.

Reprieve deputy executive director Dan Dolan said: "While tonight is the first night in almost nine years that Jagtar Singh Johal is not caged in a prison cell, he still has the threat of a death sentence hanging over him.

"It should also be noted that despite bail being ordered, the prison refused to release Jagtar until his family brought a habeas corpus petition and a judge warned the jail they'd be found in contempt of court.

"Jagtar remains on trial in cases that could last for decades and end in capital punishment, centred on a baseless allegation that has been thrown out in court for lack of evidence.

"His bail conditions deny him any semblance of a normal life.

"The foreign secretary should seize the moment and find a way to bring this young British citizen home to his family in Scotland as soon as possible."

First Minister John Swinney said Mr Johal's release from prison was a "significant step forward and a welcomed one".

He added: "I'm very pleased to hear that Jagtar Singh Johal has been released from prison.

"This has been a long and difficult period for him and for his family, and I am glad to reach the point where the process can take its course without him being imprisoned."

Mr Swinney also said he would like to see Mr Johal return to Scotland.

The first minister said: "Obviously, that would be preferable if that was the case.

"But the Indian judicial system will have to determine its own conditions. But it's really welcome news that he's been released from prison after such a long wait."

(c) Sky News 2026: Jagtar Singh Johal, who was jailed in India for nine years, is released on bail - rights group