New Delhi: Close to nine years after his arrest, the Delhi high court on Friday (September 18) granted bail to British national Jagtar Singh Johal in the remaining terrorism cases against him, noting that his trial is “certainly not likely to conclude any time soon” and that he has been acquitted in a case where similar allegations were levelled against him.“The trial is certainly not likely to conclude any time soon,” a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said, noting that its pace “has not really picked up” despite directions from the Supreme Court to expedite the process. Only 40 witnesses have been examined thus far while 123 others are yet to be examined, the judges recalled.They also ruled that Johal’s acquittal by a Punjab court in March last year holds “strong persuasive value” given that the allegations against him in that matter were similar to those in the seven cases he currently faces. The prosecutors in that case did not challenge his acquittal either, the high court noted.Given Johal’s prolonged incarceration, his freedom cannot be curtailed solely on the grounds that he may be a flight risk, the bench further said on Friday. It added that while the National Investigation Agency expressed apprehension that he may threaten witnesses if released, it did not provide any material connecting him with threats issued to witnesses thus far.It granted bail to Johal against a bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties of the same amount. He must surrender his passport, use only one phone, not speak to the media about his trial and “not join any WhatsApp group or other social media platforms where anti-national material is uploaded”.Scotland-born Johal was arrested shortly after his wedding in Punjab in November 2017 and accused of being linked with the January 2017 murder of the leader of a Hindu organisation in Ludhiana, in addition to being a member of the proscribed Khalistan Liberation Force. He denies the allegations against him.He has alleged that Indian authorities tortured him in custody – a charge they deny – and a working group of the UN Human Rights Council said four years ago that Johal’s incarceration in India is arbitrary. It had also cited a source as noting that Johal was interested in documenting the alleged persecution of Sikhs in India and took part in peaceful protests expressing support for the community, to which he also belongs.Earlier this year, a group of UN special rapporteurs said there was no rationale for Johal’s continued incarceration and that his spending eight-and-a-half years in “arbitrary detention without a clear path to trial is not justice [but] unlawful suffering”.That he was acquitted but continues to face “near-identical charges raises serious concerns about double jeopardy, the presumption of innocence, the misuse of counter-terrorism laws and the integrity of the proceedings”, they said in April.Speaking to the BBC on Friday, Johal’s brother Gurpreet said the high court’s bail order is a “really important milestone for Jagtar’s campaign”. “It is a momentous moment for the family, his wife has been crying since this morning,” he told the broadcaster.A spokesperson for the British government, which has repeatedly raised Johal’s detention with New Delhi, told the BBC it is in touch with his family over his bail order. “We have made clear that faster progress is needed to reach a resolution, including a full investigation into Mr Johal’s allegations of torture,” they added.John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, welcomed the high court’s decision to grant bail to Johal. “This is welcome news for Jagtar, his wife and his family, who campaigned tirelessly. I hope they can be reunited soon, and that the remaining legal process is fair and timely,” he said in a statement.