Two accused of waging war against India move HC against the charge

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

The Delhi High Court today sought the Delhi government's stand on a plea by two persons, accused of hijacking an Air India plane from New Delhi to Srinagar and forcing it to land in Pakistan in 1981, seeking quashing of the charge of waging war against India framed against them by a trial court.

Satnam Singh and Tejinder Pal Singh, who were convicted and sentenced by a court in Pakistan for the offences of kidnapping and hijacking, have challenged before Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva the charge of waging war against India, which entails a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

The two accused were deported in 2000 from Pakistan after serving life-term for hijacking an Air India plane to the neighbouring country in 1981.

The accused had hijacked an Air India plane from New Delhi to Srinagar en route to Amritsar and forced it to land in Lahore, where they were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The plane carrying 111 passengers and a crew of six was hijacked on September 29, 1981 by five knife-wielding persons. When the plane had landed in Lahore, they had release some passengers.

On the morning of September 30, 1981, Pakistani commandos had stormed the aircraft and overpowered the hijackers, securing the release of the remaining passengers and crew on board. There were no casualties.

After their deportation to India in 2000, they had sought their discharge from the case registered here.

However, the Delhi High Court had in September 2014 refused to stay a lower court decision ordering fresh trial against the duo.