Delhi court exculpates Indian Airlines hijackers of 1981

A Delhi court today acquitted two men, accused of hijacking a New Delhi-Srinagar Indian Airlines flight and forcing it to land in Pakistan in 1981.

Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey granted the relief to Tajinder Pal Singh and Satnam Singh.

According to the prosecution, on September 29, 1981, the two allegedly hijacked an Indian Airlines flight from New Delhi en route to Srinagar via Amritsar and forced it to land in Lahore, Pakistan, where they were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Both were deported in 2000 from Pakistan after serving their sentence.

They later sought their discharge from the case but a sessions court dismissed their plea.

In 2011, Delhi Police had charged them under various sections of the IPC - 121 (waging war against the government of India), 121A (conspiring to commit certain offenses against the state), 124A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The Delhi High Court had also dismissed their plea seeking a stay on the sessions court order and asked the trial court to proceed with the matter.

Both were granted bail in July last year.

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