Johal’s lawyer urges court to expedite targeted killing trials

Chandigarh: British national Jagtar Singh Johal's lawyer Jaspal Singh Manjhpur has said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has informed a special court in Delhi on Thursday that of the two "protected witnesses" linked to Jagtar Singh alias Jaggi Johal, one has died and the other is abroad. Johal is one of the accused in eight NIA-probed cases involving terror allegations and targeted killings in Punjab. Manjhpur said he suspects these may be the same witnesses earlier cited by Punjab police in a 2016 terror and weapons case, in which Johal was later acquitted by a Moga court. Manjhpur referred to a Supreme Court direction dated Dec 11, 2025, asking the Special NIA Court to expedite the targeted killing trials, preferably on a day-to-day basis, and specifically to examine protected witnesses. In a video posted on X, he said that between Dec 11, 2025 and Feb 19, 2026, there were 12 hearings during which six protected witnesses were examined. He told the court on Feb 19 that no protected witness connected to Johal had yet been examined. According to Manjhpur, the court then directed the NIA to produce and examine the two protected witnesses said to pertain to Johal in upcoming hearings. "The NIA officer appearing in court subsequently informed the judge that one of those witnesses had died and the other was living abroad. The court directed the agency to file a report stating when the overseas witness would come to India and how the testimony would be recorded," Manjhpur said.
Section 17 of the NIA Act, 2008, provides for witness protection in Special Court cases, including in-camera proceedings, concealment of identities, and restrictions on publication of records where the court believes a witness's life may be at risk. Manjhpur drew a parallel with the 2016 Baghapurana case investigated by Punjab police, in which he said there were two private witnesses: one had a death report, and the other testified but was found "unreliable by the court", leading to Johal's acquittal in March last year. He said he hopes the NIA's protected witnesses are the same individuals and expressed hope that Johal will also be acquitted in the NIA cases. Johal, a British national from Dumbarton, Scotland, was arrested by Punjab police on Nov 4, 2017 in Jalandhar, days after returning to India for his Oct 18 wedding. He has remained in custody since then. Authorities allege he arranged funds for terrorist activities. The cases include killings of RSS leader Jagdish Gagneja, RSS leader Ravinder Gosain, pastor Sultan Masih, Hindu Takht leader Amit Sharma, Shiv Sena leader Durga Prasad, and the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda followers Satpal and Ramesh in Khanna. MSID: 128610124 413 |