Ajmer — Seven Sikh youths, who hijacked an Indian airline plane to Dubai via Lahore in August, last year were produced in the special court of Mr. Sehdev Godara in the Ajmer Central Jail premises on Tuesday.
According to informed sources, prosecution as well as defense lawyers argued for more than an hour on the charges formed against the hijackers. Officials of the CBI were also present.
Sources said the seven hijackers Kamaljit Singh, Surender Singh, Avtar Singh, Devinder Singh, Arminder Singh, Tejinder Singh and Man Singh were brought to the special court which is holding the hearings ‘in the newly constructed buildings inside the central jail.
According to sources, CBI officials had framed charges against seven others besides the hijackers, but they were released by the judge who announced that they were not involved in the case. The CBI had claimed that they were involved in the hijack conspiracy.
The Shiromani Gurudwara Prasbandhak Committee has engaged the defense lawyers.
The team of seven defense lawyers led by Mr. Puran Singh Duggal of Amritsar presented five applications to the special judge.
The defense has demanded that the seven hijackers should be given “A” class facilities in jail. It has also demanded that defense lawyers should be provided with legal reference books in the court.
Mr. Duggal in another application has requested the judge that defense counsel should be allowed to meet the seven hijackers for at least three hours a day before the hearing to discuss the case.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 5, 1985
