India news: British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail after 9 years in detention

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

• Scottish-Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, who had been detained in India for almost nine years without trial, has been granted bail
• India is set to replace Asian Games opening ceremony male flagbearer over missing ceremonial ⁠kit
• Counting underway in elections for the Delhi University Students' Union

Here is a roundup of some of the top headlines from across India on Saturday, September 19:

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Skip next section India swaps flagbearer for Asian Games opening ceremony after kit mix-up

September 19, 2026

India swaps flagbearer for Asian Games opening ceremony after kit mix-up

A last-minute logistics problem has cost shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor his spot as India's male flagbearer at Saturday's Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya, Japan.

Kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat is set to step in instead, joining shooter Manu Bhaker, a two-time Paris Olympics bronze medalist, who will be India's female flagbearer.

Toor, who is chasing a third consecutive Asian Games gold in shot put, said he only learned of his selection as flagbearer a day earlier and that his kit was still back in India. 

"I'm told that my kit will reach at 3 p.m. at the airport. Reaching the opening ceremony venue after collecting my kit from the airport on time will be very difficult," he told news agency PTI, adding that he had informed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that he would not be attending the ceremony.

The Indian Olympic Association said in a statement that Toor would be unable to serve as flagbearer "due to a technical issue."

The mix-up was one of several hiccups in the run-up to the Games, which open on Saturday with more than 17,000 athletes competing across more than 40 sports through October 4. 

Organizers, working without a traditional athletes' village, have housed competitors in container-style huts, hotels and a cruise ship. There have been complaints over accommodation quality, transport delays, and a mistaken playing of North Korea's national anthem for South Korea's men's hockey team. 

A tropical storm bearing down on the region threatens to cause further disruption as competition gets underway.

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Skip next section Delhi High Court grants bail to Jagtar Singh Johal after nearly nine years in custody

September 19, 2026

Delhi High Court grants bail to Jagtar Singh Johal after nearly nine years in custody

The Delhi High Court granted bail to British national Jagtar Singh Johal in seven murder and terrorism-related cases, clearing the way for his conditional release after nearly nine years in Indian custody. 

The court overturned a 2024 ruling that had denied him bail.

Johal, 39, a Sikh rights campaigner from Dumbarton, Scotland, was arrested in Punjab in 2017 shortly after he arrived in India for his wedding.

He was accused by India's National Investigation Agency of financing and courier work for the banned Khalistan Liberation Force in connection with a series of targeted killings in Ludhiana and Jalandhar districts between 2016 and 2017. 

He was acquitted in a related case last year by a court in Moga, Punjab, while the Delhi cases had continued.

Johal has consistently denied wrongdoing and says he was tortured into signing a false confession. A United Nations working group ruled in May 2022 that his detention was arbitrary.

"Eight and a half years of arbitrary detention without a clear path to trial is not justice, it is unlawful suffering," UN human rights experts said in a statement earlier this year. "The prolonged uncertainty alone is a form of psychological torture."

Indian authorities have repeatedly rejected the torture allegations and insisted that due process was followed.

What did the court say in its ruling?

In its ruling, the court cited Johal's prolonged incarceration and the slow pace of the trial as grounds for bail, despite the strict conditions typically imposed under India's anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. 

The court noted that 123 witnesses were yet to be examined and that proceedings were "certainly not likely to conclude any time soon."

The court imposed strict bail conditions, including surrendering his passport, restrictions on communication and social media activity, and regular reporting to the Investigating Officer. The court did not rule on the merits of the underlying case, leaving prosecutors free to have his bail revoked if the conditions of his release are breached.

Johal's brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, who has campaigned for years for his release and urged successive UK governments to take action, called the ruling "a huge relief," the BBC reported.

"I had a long, sleepless night knowing that the decision would be made this morning. Now, all I can think about is Jagtar walking out of prison." 

India's banned film 'Satluj' finds new audiences

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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage

September 19, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Hello! This is Seerat from DW's Studio Delhi, bringing you the big news from and about India this weekend.

We lead our coverage with the news that British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, who had been detained in India for almost nine years without conviction, has been granted bail.

A UN panel in 2022 recognized it as a case of arbitrary detention, putting the Indian government's human rights record under the microscope.

The Asian Games kick off in Japan on Saturday, but it's not all smooth sailing for the Indian delegation's preparations.

India has announced a last-minute change of its male flagbearer for the opening ceremony after star shotputter Tajinderpal Singh Toor's ceremonial kit reportedly went missing.

Finally, counting is underway in elections for the Delhi University Student Union, this time under the shadow of the Cockroach Janata Party protests and the collapse of a building in the student hub of Satya Niketan.