Jagtar Singh Johal, a British Sikh activist, has been released from a Delhi prison after nine years in custody without a full trial. The Indian high court issued the release order on 18 September following a habeas corpus petition filed by Johal's legal team. The court subsequently warned the Indian government it faced contempt of court charges if it refused to comply with the bail order. That warning prompted the authorities to release him.
Johal's lawyers challenged his continued detention by arguing he was being held in violation of the court's explicit directive. The habeas corpus petition formed the legal basis for the court's decision to grant bail and set the contempt warning in motion.
The case highlights a prolonged period of detention. Johal spent nine years incarcerated despite the absence of a completed trial, raising questions about the pace of judicial proceedings in his case.
The release came after the high court made clear that non-compliance would constitute a breach of judicial authority, forcing the government's hand on a case that had drawn attention to India's detention practices involving foreign nationals and activists.