Canada deports convicted Indian hijacker

Canada has deported the mastermind of the 1984 Indian Airlines plane hijacker to India, ending a 15-year legal process after he arrived in the country in 1995 using a fake Afghan passport.

The Canadian government had been trying to deport Parminder Singh Saini since shortly after he arrived in the country in 1995 using a under a false identity.

Saini had been fighting his deportation in the Federal Court of Canada but after the case was dismissed yesterday, the Canada Border Services Agency acted swiftly.

Escorted by CBSA officers, Saini, who has been designated a "danger to Canadians", boarded a plane in Toronto on Tuesday morning to begin a one-way journey back to India.

A former member of the militant All India Sikh Student Federation, Saini hijacked an Indian Airlines passenger flight from Srinigar with 265 passengers on board and forced it to land in Lahore, Pakistan.

He was convicted and sentenced to death but was released after serving 10 years. He fled to Canada, claiming to be "Balbir Singh," and was granted refugee status.

Ottawa designated him a public danger and ordered his expulsion but Saini countered he should not be deported because he had been pardoned for the hijacking.

While awaiting his fate, Saini, 46, obtained a law degree from the University of Windsor. Last week, the Law Society of Upper Canada ruled he was ineligible to practice law because he was not of good character.