Canada has denied permission to convicted hijacker and terrorist Parminder Singh Saini to practise law citing dubious past, including hijacking of an Indian plane 26 years ago.
The Law Society of Upper Canada rejected Saini's plea to allow him to practise in Greater Toronto.
Saini, 46, was 21 years old when he led a five-man Sikh team that hijacked an Indian Airlines flight with 265 passengers on July 6, 1984.
The aircraft, which on its way from Srinagar to Delhi, was taken to Lahore by the hijackers.
The hostage crisis ended after 20 hours of negotiations with Pakistani authorities during which the terrorists surrendered. No one was seriously hurt in the incident, Toronto Sun reported.
After being sentenced to death by a Pakistani court, Saini was released after 10 years, he entered Canada in 1995 on a Afghan passport and false name Balbir Singh.
Saini maintained his false identity and lied to his own lawyer and immigration officials until the CSIS caught him in September 1995.
In Canada, Saini completed his law degree from University of Windsor law school about two years ago.
Saini said he had initially lied as he fear being deported to India, where two of his accomplices were killed after being released from prison.
However, the panel took serious note of Saini's past and rejected his bid to practise law. Although his lawyer Frank Addario said his client was a reformed man now.
