NEW DELHI: After spending more than eight years behind bars, British Sikh national Jagtar Singh Johal walked out of New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Thursday. His release comes in the wake of the Delhi High Court granting him bail across seven distinct cases registered under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Exiting via Gate No. 4 from Jail No. 5, Johal’s release was facilitated by a ruling from a bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja. The high court observed that Johal had already endured a prolonged period of pre-trial detention spanning over eight years, and the ongoing trials showed little indication of concluding anytime soon. The bench further noted that despite earlier directives from the Supreme Court, the overall pace of the trial proceedings had failed to pick up momentum.
The legal cases, thoroughly investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), stem from a series of high-profile targeted killings and attempted assassinations that shook Punjab's Ludhiana and Jalandhar districts between 2016 and 2017. Among the key incidents investigated are the January 2017 murder of Shri Hindu Takhat president Amit Sharma in Ludhiana, and the August 2016 attempted murder of RSS leader Jagdish Kumar Gagneja in Jalandhar.
Johal was initially arrested in 2017 and subsequently accused by the NIA of being an active operative of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). The investigation was later handed over to the central anti-terror agency following allegations of an extensive transnational conspiracy.
During the bail hearings, the NIA strongly opposed his release, arguing that as a foreign national facing grave terrorism charges, he posed a severe flight risk. However, the High Court overruled these contentions, emphasizing that an individual's liberty cannot be curtailed solely on the grounds of their foreign nationality.
In granting relief, the court imposed strict conditions, requiring Johal to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh alongside two sureties of the equivalent amount. Additional stipulations include surrendering his passport, submitting complete contact details to the investigating officer, and reporting to the officer on a fortnightly basis. Furthermore, he has been directed to fully cooperate with the ongoing trial and is strictly prohibited from joining any social media or WhatsApp groups where anti-national material is shared, circulated, or propagated.
Johal's path to freedom follows a July ruling by the Supreme Court, which remitted the bail matter back to the high court for a fresh look after his initial bail plea was rejected in September 2024.
