A Scot who has been detained in India for nearly nine years without conviction has been granted bail, his family has said.

Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, was arrested by Indian authorities in 2017 over alleged terrorism offences, just weeks after his wedding.

The 39-year-old’s brother Gurpreet announced on Friday that Delhi High Court has overturned a previous decision in 2024 and granted him bail.

He said: “Jaggi will be released from prison after completing the relevant paperwork. Time to bring him home.”

Speaking to the BBC’s Radio Breakfast Scotland programme, Gurpreet said his brother could be released as early as next week after bail was granted for seven cases.

“This is a really, really important milestone for Jagtar’s campaign,” he said.

Gurpreet described the news as a “relief” that “finally Jagtar would be at liberty”.

He said it had been a “difficult” nine years for his family and that the news was a “major step” and a “significant moment” for his brother.

“Jagtar’s wife has been crying since this morning,” he said.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney welcomed reports that Mr Johal had been granted bail “after spending almost nine years in detention in India”.

First Minister John Swinney during First Minister’s Questions for party leaders at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh
John Swinney said it was a ‘significant and positive development for Mr Johal, his wife and his family’ (Jane Barlow/PA)

Mr Swinney said: “The Scottish Government has consistently called for Mr Johal’s release and repeatedly raised concerns about his prolonged detention, including in light of the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

“While I recognise that legal proceedings remain ongoing, this is a significant and positive development for Mr Johal, his wife and his family, who have campaigned tirelessly on his behalf.”

He added: “I hope to see Mr Johal released from custody as soon as the necessary procedures are completed and continue to underline the importance of a fair, transparent and timely judicial process.”

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

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

Mr Johal was said to have previously told the Foreign Secretary in a message: “I’m stuck in a broken country with a broken judicial system.”

Yvette Cooper has urged a “swift resolution” in the case, saying the ordeal had “gone on far too long”.

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