:dateline:Dal Khalsa activists Bhai Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib and Bhai Tajinder Pal Singh were today acquitted by the Patiala House Court in a case pertaining to hijacking of an Indian Airline�s plane 37 years ago. Notably, Bhai Gajinder Singh, Bhai Satnam Singh, Bhai Jasbir Singh, Bhai� Karan Singh and Bhai Tajinder Pal Singh had hijacked an Air India flight IC-423 from New Delhi to Srinagar and had taken it to Pakistan on Sep 29, 1981 in protest of Sant Bhindranwale�s arrest.
Although all of them had served life sentence in a Pakistani jail, but two of them residing in India (Bhai Satnam Singh and Bhai Tajinder Pal Singh) were again booked by the Delhi police in 2011 under sections 121 (waging war against the government of India), 121A (conspiring to commit certain offences against the state), 124-A (sedition) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). On February 3 this year, the Patiala House Court had cancelled the sedition charges against the duo Sikh activists while putting them on fresh trial under sections 121 and 121-A (waging war against the state) of IPC.
Today, the Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey also acquitted the duo activists from their indictment under sections 121 and 121-A (waging war against the state) of IPC.
�Finally, the curtain has been drawn on this 37 years old hijacking case by the Court. The prosecution had succeeded in reopening this case against Bhai Satnam Singh and Bhai Tajinder Pal Singh but the Court delivered justice as the duo had already served a life sentence in Pakistan� said the defense counsel Maninder Singh.
Bhai Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib and Bhai Tajinder Pal Singh were deported to India in 2000.�
