Kerala HC allows Italian naval guards to go home for Christmas (The Times of India)
Reuters | Dec 20, 2012, 02.23 PM IST
Italian naval
guards Massimiliano Latorre (right) and Salvatore Girone (center) along with a
police official from Italy arriving at the Kochi City Police commissioner's
office.
The sailors are awaiting trial in connection with the shooting deaths in February, and the case has soured relations between New Delhi and Rome. Italy has challenged India's right to try the men, arguing in the New Delhi Supreme Court that the shootings took place in international waters.
The sailors, members of a military security team protecting the cargo ship Enrica Lexie from pirate attacks, fired on a fishing boat they say they mistook for a pirate craft off the southern Indian state of Kerala.
The Kerala HC's decision came just days after Italy demanded a quick decision by the Supreme Court to allow the men to go on trial in Rome. No decision is expected by the court, however, until January.
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(Deccan Herald Bangalore)
Italian
marines likely be united with families for Xmas
Kochi/New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI)
Two Italian marines, facing murder charges in
Kerala, are likely to celebrate Christmas with their families back home
following the High Court permitting their travel for two weeks subject to
clearance from the Centre, which said that "some degree of generosity"
could be shown at the festive time.
"It is neither being harsh nor soft. Courts have to decide what conditions have to be imposed. In earlier order courts have allowed certain relaxation of conditions for bail but on the other hand also restricted the movement and confined them to one particular guest house.
"Now the court, in its wisdom, has felt that some more conditions can be relaxed temporarily because it is Christmas time and people show some degree of generosity. Christmas is the time for families to be together and we should respect what court has done," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said when asked if India was going soft on the marines.
The marines-- Latore Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone, facing criminal trial on charges of killing two Indian fishermen 10 months back, were permitted by the Kerala High Court to go home for two weeks while asking them to give a bank guarantee of Rs six crore and imposing stringent conditions.
Disposing of the petition by the marines, Justice P Bhavadasan said that the bail conditions can be modified if the Union government feels the undertaking by the Italian Ambassador and Italian Consul General are acceptable and travel documents can be issued to them.
Meanwhile, official sources said the Centre will go through the assurances given by the marines in the court before taking the final call in the matter.
The two marines were arrested from Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie' on February 19 for allegedly shooting down two Indian fishermen off Alapuzha coast on Feb 15.
The court said they can leave India and remain in Italy for two weeks from the date of their departure and should return to India before 3 PM on Jan 10, 2013.
Their passports can be released on production of necessary travel documents for exit and re-entry and on filing of an unconditional undertaking that they would return to India and surrender their passports at 3 PM on January 10, it said.
"It is neither being harsh nor soft. Courts have to decide what conditions have to be imposed. In earlier order courts have allowed certain relaxation of conditions for bail but on the other hand also restricted the movement and confined them to one particular guest house.
"Now the court, in its wisdom, has felt that some more conditions can be relaxed temporarily because it is Christmas time and people show some degree of generosity. Christmas is the time for families to be together and we should respect what court has done," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said when asked if India was going soft on the marines.
The marines-- Latore Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone, facing criminal trial on charges of killing two Indian fishermen 10 months back, were permitted by the Kerala High Court to go home for two weeks while asking them to give a bank guarantee of Rs six crore and imposing stringent conditions.
Disposing of the petition by the marines, Justice P Bhavadasan said that the bail conditions can be modified if the Union government feels the undertaking by the Italian Ambassador and Italian Consul General are acceptable and travel documents can be issued to them.
Meanwhile, official sources said the Centre will go through the assurances given by the marines in the court before taking the final call in the matter.
The two marines were arrested from Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie' on February 19 for allegedly shooting down two Indian fishermen off Alapuzha coast on Feb 15.
The court said they can leave India and remain in Italy for two weeks from the date of their departure and should return to India before 3 PM on Jan 10, 2013.
Their passports can be released on production of necessary travel documents for exit and re-entry and on filing of an unconditional undertaking that they would return to India and surrender their passports at 3 PM on January 10, it said.
