Even without murder charges against him, Gokul Macheri, 33, is looking at a lifetime in jail. For, the bureau ... Read More

BENGALURU/DELHI: Even without murder charges against him, Gokul Macheri , 33, is looking at a lifetime in jail. For, the bureau of civil aviation security has slapped the used-only-once The Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation ( SUASCA ) Act 1982 against him.

Under the stringent section 3(1)(d) of this Act, the maximum punishment is life imprisonment.

"Before the Bengaluru case, this Act was never slapped for hoax calls. This was meant to be used for people who took objects that could endanger flight safety on board aircraft. The only time it was possibly used earlier was following a Febr uary 2009 incident where a man claimed to have infected needles with him on a Goa-Delhi IndiGo flight using which he threatened to hijack the plane," said a source.

With hoax calls on the rise, BCAS decided to slap such callers with SUASCA Act - hoping it will act as a deterrent against such costly pranks.

After his arrest on Saturday, Gokul also confessed to murdering his wife Anuradha in their Bengaluru flat on July 28.

Bengaluru police also invoked against Gokul IPC sections including 177 (furnishing false information to a public servant, 6 months), 505 (statements conducing public mischief, 3 years), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation, 2-7 years), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication, 2 years), 385 (Putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion, 2 years).

Madiwala police reopened the case of the murder of his wife and booked him under section 302 (punishment for murder, death or life imprisonment).

"It's the prerogative of the court with regard to the time he will spend in prison.However, just this one section under the special act can ensure he gets a life term," said DCP (Nor th East) Vikash Kumar Vikash.

What is section 3(1)(d)

Offence of committing violence on board an aircraft in flight, etc. -(1) Whoever unlawfully and intentionally -(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.

(With inputs from Saurabh Sinha in Delhi)