House panel for death penalty for hijackers

NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary panel has endorsed the proposed amendment to provide capital punishment -- apart from hijackers -- to conspirators and abettors of hijacking of any aircraft and recommended suitable changes in the law so that other modes of transport can also be covered.

The panel, which examined the Anti-hijacking (Amendment) Bill 2010, in its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, said, "The Committee feels that the proposed amendment is the need of the hour and unavoidable in the heightened threat for such a daring crime".

The amendment Bill, which was introduced in Rajya Sabha on August 19, 2010, seeks to bring conspirators and abettors of hijacking also into the ambit of the Anti-hijacking Act, 1982, and include `death penalty' as punishment for hijacking. The Act currently only deals with matters pertaining to the hijacking of aircraft.

After its introduction, the Bill was subsequently referred to the Parliamentary committee for examination and look for whether the scope of the existing Act can also be extended to hijacking of other modes of transport as well.

The panel, comprising department-related parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, is of the opinion that "if the death penalty was a foregone conclusion for the offence of hijacking, the opportunities for any negotiation or settlement to save lives of the passengers may be foreclosed".

It, however, recommends that the "death penalty must be made applicable to those offenders whose action results in the death of hostages\security men during the act of hijacking".

Taking note that in recent years there have been a spurt in hijacking of buses, cars and trains by anti-social elements for ransom or for other ulterior motives, the Committee recommended that the government should consider having such a legislation to deal with taking control forcefully of other modes of transport and provide for the punishment to the offenders and compensation to the victims.

Headed by the Rajya Sabha member Sitaram Yechury, the panel, during its examination, found that taking control forcefully of such modes of transport -- other than aircraft -- were not covered under any specific laws.

It also took note of the compensation aspect. It said, "The Committee feels that when we have a stand alone legislation for hijacking, it should be appropriate to include all the aspects related or incidental to the Act of hijacking in this legislation itself. The compensation, no doubt, should be an integral part of it".

At present, the compensation aspect is dealt under civil law, which is time-taking since it involves litigation and sundry procedures.