House panel nod to death for hijackers
New Delhi, Oct. 18: A parliamentary committee on Monday concluded that the death penalty for hijackers should be applicable to offenders whose actions cause death of hostages or security personnel.
But at the same time, the committee in its report, has also raised questions as to whether opportunities for any negotiation or settlement to save lives of passengers would be foreclosed if the hijackers knew they would get capital punishment for the offence.
Noting that there have been increased instances of hijacking of buses, trains and cars in the recent past, the parliamentary panel also asked the government to consider having a law to deal with such cases and provide punishment to offenders.
The standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, headed by the CPI(M) leader, Mr Sitaram Yechury, on Monday presented its report on the
Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill 2010, to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Mr Hamid Ansari, and the Lok Sabha Speaker, Ms Meira Kumar.
The committee felt the proposed amendment to include death penalty in the 1982 Anti-Hijacking Act was “the need of the hour and unavoidable in the heightened threat of such a daring crime”.
It supported the proposed amendment that provides for capital punishment to the hijackers as well as “to the conspirators and abettors also who commit any of the acts” referred to in the prevailing law.
But the report, however, noted that it was not clear in the proposed amendment whether the death penalty would be applicable to the hijackers who kill hostages or security personnel or to all hijackers who have caused or not caused any fatalities.
Post new comment