26/11 judge recalls Kandahar hijack

Judge M L Tahaliyani, while listing out the reasons why he was not sentencing 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab to life but awarding him the death sentence instead, invoked the Kandahar hijack of December 24, 1999, when Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was forcibly taken to Afghanistan to secure the release of three hardcore terrorists in Kashmir.

Saying that keeping the accused Kasab alive is "a constant danger to society" and a "danger in itself", judge Tahaliyani cited the Kandahar hijack case as an example.

"Because of one person in prison, a plane was hijacked," he recalled.

"It would be difficult for the Indian government to keep Kasab alive," he added.