Relatives and advocates for a British Sikh blogger detained by India for almost nine years said Friday he has been granted bail and should be released within days.
Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton in west Scotland, was detained in November 2017 while in India for his wedding over an alleged plot to kill right-wing Hindu leaders.
His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, said in a video posted on X that "in the coming days Jagtar will be released on bail", calling this "really, really good news".
"Now, all I can think about is Jagtar walking out of prison. We have waited so long and fought so hard for this moment," he added in a statement released by Reprieve, a British charity that has campaigned for Johal's release.
Johal's MP, Douglas McAllister, welcomed the "amazing news" in a post on social media, saying his constituent was being held in "arbitrary detention".
"Now it's time to bring him back home," McAllister said.
Reprieve said Johal was "granted bail by the High Court in India" at a Friday hearing.
Judges asked prosecutors "to present evidence to justify his continued detention and they were unable to do so", the charity said.
Live Law, an Indian news website, reported that the Delhi High Court was to release a detailed order on Johal's bail.
A court acquitted Johal of one terrorism-linked charge in March 2025. He has now been granted bail on eight other charges remaining against him, which include conspiracy to murder.
Reprieve said the remaining charges "essentially duplicate" the dismissed charge.
The charity's deputy executive director, Dan Dolan, warned that bail conditions "are likely to be onerous" and "Jagtar will still be facing the death penalty" if convicted.
United Nations experts warned in April that Johal's detention amounted to "psychological torture" and demanded his immediate release.
Experts mandated by the UN Human Rights Council said that when Johal was first seized, he was held incommunicado for 10 days.
During that time, he was allegedly subjected to mistreatment, including electric shocks and threats of being killed.
The experts highlighted reports that Johal's detention conditions had worsened, with restrictions on contact with family, limited access to basic hygiene and periods of solitary confinement.