1981 AI HIJACK: SEDITION CHARGE ON 2 ACCUSED DROPPED

CHANDIGARH: A trial court in Delhi has dropped sedition charges against Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib and Tejinderpal Singh in a 36-year-old hijacking case of September 29, 1981, when an Air India flight from New Delhi to Srinagar was forced to land in Pakistan.

The court has framed charges under Sections 121-A and 121 (waging war against the state) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against both. The next date of hearing is March 16.

Both the accused that are on bail were present in the court.

Five Sikhs — Gajinder Singh, Jasbir Singh, Karan Singh, Satnam Singh and Tejinderpal hijacked Srinagar-bound IC-423 Air India plane from New Delhi to Pakistan on September 29, 1981. All five belong to pro-khalistan radical Sikh body Dal Khalsa. They demanded release of jailed Sikh leaders.

After imprisonment of 14 years in Pakistan, Satnam and Tejinderpal returned to India in 1999 and a case under section 124A (sedition), 121A and 121 (waging war against nation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC was registered. The others never came back to India. Gajinder is living in Pakistan and Jasbir and Karan were granted asylum in Switzerland. Though Gajinder is allowed stay in Pakistan, he’s not allowed to move out of the country. The defence lawyer has taken the plea that both have undergone jail sentence for 14 years, so the sedition charge against them be dropped.

FIVE SIKH MILITANTS HAD HIJACKED A SRINAGARBOUND PLANE FROM NEW DELHI TO PAKISTAN ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1981