![\"Scottish](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134343744,imgsize-737372,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/bail-granted.jpg\" "\\"British")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI\/LONDON\/BATHINDA: Delhi HC on Friday granted bail to British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal, who is charged with targeted killings and conspiracy linked to Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), taking note of his \u201clong period of incarceration\u201d and acquittal in one of the cases. News of his bail sparked celebrations at his home in Dumbarton, Scotland, and among UK-based activists who have been campaigning for his release.His brother Gurpreet Singh Johal, a solicitor in Dumbarton, where Johal\u2019s wife Gurpreet Kaur Johal also lives, said, \u201cThe past two years have been an expensive rollercoaster, contesting bails at Supreme Court and back to the high court in India. Now, all I can think about is Jagtar walking out of prison. We have waited so long and fought so hard for this moment. Whenever evidence against Jagtar is tested in court, judges find what we\u2019ve said all along, which is that there isn\u2019t any.\u201dJohal\u2019s MP Douglas McAllister, who has been campaigning for his release, described the news as \u201camazing\u201d. \u201cNow it\u2019s time to bring him home.\u201dScotland-born Johal, arrested shortly after his 2017 wedding, was named as an accused in eight cases of attempted murder in Punjab and booked by NIA under UAPA. He was acquitted in one of the cases last year.HC heard Johal\u2019s bail appeals in the remaining seven case together Friday and said, \u201cWe find the appellant has remained in custody for more than eight years\u2026 Only 40 witnesses have so far been examined and we are informed there are another 123 witnesses whose testimony is yet to be recorded… Trial is certainly not likely to conclude any time soon.\u201dOn NIA\u2019s claim Johal was a flight risk as a foreign national, HC ordered Johal to surrender his passport and barred him from joining any WhatsApp group or other social media platform where anti-national material was uploaded or circulated or propagated.It rejected NIA\u2019s claim certain witnesses alleged they were threatened and that, if released, Johal might influence the trial.NIA\u2019s cases against Johal arise from a series of allegedly targeted murders and attempted murders in Ludhiana and Jalandhar in 2016-2017. Two cases pertain to the killing of Amit Sharma, president of Shri Hindu Takhat in Ludhiana in Jan 2017, and the attempted murder of Jagdish Kumar Gagneja, RSS vice-president in Punjab, in Jalandhar in Aug 2016.The probe was transferred from Punjab Police to NIA after the offences were identified to be a part of a \u201ctransnational conspiracy\u201d. NIA accused Johal of being an \u201cactive member\u201d of the \u201cterrorist gang\u201d KLF.Gurpreet Singh Johal told BBC News, \u201cWe are still waiting for the order and a report. We expect he won\u2019t be allowed to leave India without permission… But at last we see some light at the end of the tunnel that he will be at least at liberty.\u201dNoting Johal was acquitted of all charges in one case, he said, \u201cJagtar is innocent and is arbitrarily detained. There is a lot more that has to be done from UK govt. They have not done enough.\u201dDan Dolan, deputy executive director of Reprieve, a UK legal rights organisation campaigning for Johal\u2019s release, said, \u201cWhile this judgment is welcome as Jagtar should not be in prison a day longer, we must now watch closely to ensure this order is actually implemented and not obstructed in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n Share your thoughts in the comments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n