NEW DELHI: The Punjab and Haryana high court has granted bail to a Punjab-based YouTuber who was arrested last year on allegations of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj allowed the bail plea, noting gaps in the prosecution’s case at this stage. The court cited “arguable issues that would arise with respect to the commission of offence as alleged, lack of readily available corroborative material at this stage indicating any direct/remote communication, transmission of sensitive information or any overt act indicative of culpable intent”. Jasbir Singh, a YouTuber from Rupnagar, was arrested on June 3, 2025. Police had alleged that he was associated with a Pakistani intelligence operative and had been in contact with an official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi who was later expelled on charges of spying. He was booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Official Secrets Act. While granting bail, the court also took into account his custody of over 10 months and his lack of prior criminal record. The court observed that the state’s counsel did not dispute that Singh ran a YouTube channel named ‘Jaan Mahal’, where he had uploaded a large number of travel and vlog-related videos. “The counsel does not dispute that from the retrieval of the petitioner’s mobile data, no chats, messages, or communication have been recovered, at this stage, as would reflect that he was in contact with any Pakistani national,” the court said. It further noted, “In addition thereto, it is also not the case of the prosecution that the content uploaded by the petitioner pertains to any classified or restricted material not otherwise available in the public domain.” “The state counsel does not dispute that, prima facie, the videos in question appear to be of locations and subjects that are accessible to the general public and no material has been placed on record to demonstrate that the petitioner had access to, or disseminated any sensitive or confidential information,” the order said. Police had earlier claimed that Singh had visited Pakistan multiple times and was in contact with ISI operatives. They also alleged that he, along with unknown accomplices, had passed sensitive information — including details about Indian Army movements — to the agency. However, Singh’s counsel argued that he was a content creator who regularly posted videos on YouTube and Instagram, and that the case stemmed from his online content. The petitioner’s lawyer also highlighted that Singh had been in custody for more than 10 months since his arrest.
