Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982
No: 66 Dated: Nov, 06 1982
THE SUPPRESSION OF UNLAWFUL ACTS AGAINST SAFETY OF CIVIL AVIATION ACT, 1982
ACT NO. 66 OF 1982
An Act to give effect to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation and for matters connected therewith.
WHEREAS a Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation was, on the 23rd day of September, 1971, signed at Montreal;
AND WHEREAS it is expedient that India should accede to the said Convention and make provisions for giving effect thereto and for matters connected therewith;
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-third Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title, extent, application and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982.
(2) It extends to the whole of India and, save as otherwise provided in this Act, it applies also to any offence under section 3 committed outside India by any person.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “aircraft” means any aircraft, whether or not registered in India, other than a military aircraft or an aircraft used in customs or police service;
(b) “aircraft registered in India” means an aircraft which is for the time being registered in India;
(bb) “airport” means an aerodrome as defined in clause (2) of section 2 of the Aircraft Act, 1934 (22 of 1934);
(c) “Convention country” means a country in which the Montreal Convention is for the time being in force;
(d) “military aircraft” means an aircraft of the naval, military, air force or any other armed forces of any country and includes every aircraft commanded for the time being by a person in such force detailed for the purpose;
(e) “Montreal Convention” means the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation signed at Montreal on the 23rd day of September, 1971.
(2) For the purposes of this Act,—
(a) an aircraft shall be deemed to be in flight at any time from the moment when all its external doors are closed following embarkation until the moment when any such door is opened for disembarkation, and in the case of a forced landing, the flight shall be deemed to continue until the competent authorities of the country in which such forced landing takes place take over the responsibility for the aircraft and for persons and property on board;
(b) an aircraft shall be deemed to be in service from the beginning of the pre-flight preparation of the aircraft by the ground staff or by the crew for a specific flight until twenty-four hours after any landing and the period of such service shall include the entire period during which the aircraft is in flight.
CHAPTER II
OFFENCES
3. Offence of committing violence on board an aircraft in flight, etc.—(1) Whoever unlawfully and intentionally—
(a) commits an act of violence against a person on board an aircraft in flight which is likely to endanger the safety of such aircraft; or
(b) destroys an aircraft in service or causes damage to such aircraft in such a manner as to render it incapable of flight or which is likely to endanger its safety in flight; or
(c) places or causes to be placed on an aircraft in service, by any means whatsoever, a device or substance which is likely to destroy that aircraft, or to cause damage to it which renders it incapable of flight, or to cause damage to it which is likely to endanger its safety in flight; or
(d) communicates such information which he knows to be false so as to endanger the safety of an aircraft in flight, shall be punished with imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine.
(2) Whoever attempts to commit, or abets the commission of, any offence under sub-section (1) shall also be deemed to be have committed such offence and shall be punished with the punishment provided for such offence.