TORONTO, Jan 27 A Sikh activist, who hijacked an Indian plane to Pakistan in 1984, was deported to India on Tuesday.

Parminder Singh Saini, 46, who took refuge in Toronto 15 years ago and faced deportation to India, was put on the plane back to his native country, officials said.

Saini was the leader of five Sikh militants who had hijacked the Indian Airlines plane from Srinagar to Delhi on July 6, 1984, with 255 passengers on board and took it to Lahore. The hijack drama ended after a 17-hour standoff, with the hijackers surrendering to the Pakistani authorities.

After a trial in Pakistan, Saini was sentenced to death by a Lahore court. But the death sentence was commuted to life term. He was released after 10 years and asked to leave Pakistan.

In 1995, Saini entered Canada illegally under the name of Balbir Singh with a fake Afghan passport said to have been arranged by some Pakistanis. He said that he had lied about his identity for fear of being deported to India.

After his arrival in Toronto, he earned a BA degree and a law degree even as he fought a deportation order.

Last year, Saini applied to the Law Society of Upper Canada to allow him to practise law here. But his application was turned down earlier this month on grounds of his criminal past. Appearing before the Law Society last year, he regretted his past and said he deserves a shot at life in this country.