The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday opposed in a Delhi court the pleas filed by two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast in 2012, seeking exemption from personal appearance on the ground that chargesheet has not been filed in the case.
The National Investigation Agency will file a chargesheet against two Italian marines, accused of killing two Kerala fishermen, after getting sanction to prosecute them under a law which provides only death penalty.
"Italy is willing to try the marines at home, but in the meantime we ask for their freedom," said Interior Minister Angelino Alfano was quoted as saying by ANSA news agency.
Clarifying the latest Supreme Court order in the matter in which the apex court allowed NIA to probe the case against Italian marines, official sources said the order had been read out of context leading to misleading reports.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused the pleas of murder accused Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre seeking extension of his stay in Italy on health grounds and his fellow marine permission to travel there for Christmas, leading them to withdraw their applications.
The "stern stand" and intervention of the Supreme Court and the Centre helped bring back the two Italian marines charged with killing two Indian fishermen, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Sunday.
The ministry of external affairs has ratified an agreement with Italy that will allow convicted nationals of both countries to be transferred back to serve sentences in their own country, an officer in the ministry said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday accused the Centre of colluding with Italy over the latter's refusal to send back two marines charged with the murder of two fishermen off the Kerala coast last year.
"We grant the extension till July 15," said a three-judge bench of justices.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on Tuesday raised the issue of two marines, who are currently facing trial in India for allegedly shooting down two Indian fishermen, with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
Italy will do everything to bring back by Christmas two of its marines, who have been in India for over one-and-a-half years to face trial for killing two Indian fishermen, the country's special envoy in the case has said.
The two Italian marines, now on bail in the case relating to killing of two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast on February 15 this year, on Friday filed a petition in the high court seeking relaxation of bail conditions to enable them visit their homes in Italy for Christmas.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said Italy's stand on the return of two of its marines to India to face the trial for killing two Indian fishermen has violated all norms of diplomatic discourse.
The European Union on Friday expressed the hope that a solution will be found to the issue of Italian marines, whose prosecution in the case of killing of two Kerala fishermen has triggered diplomatic tensions with India.
Terming Italy's decision not to send back its two marines as a "diplomatic tragedy," Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday said it is the responsibility of the Centre to bring them back to India.
The Italian government had made a plea to state authorities to shift the marines to a guest house declaring it as a prison. Based on this, the Supreme Court had observed that the state DGP and jail ADGP could take an appropriate decision on shifting the marines from the jail.
Italy has regretted that the case of two of its marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen should have been resolved in the first three days of the incident, before the issue became enmeshed in India's "deadly judicial and political-electoral gears".
The Centre told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Italian mariners, who shot dead two fishermen off Kerala coast on February 15 this year, do not enjoy any sovereign immunity and are liable for criminal prosecution.
The National Investigating Agency on Thursday told a special court New Delhi that it was "ready" with a charge sheet against two Italian marines, accused of killing to Indian fishermen off Kerala coast in 2012, and would file it after the Supreme Court decides on the issue raised by the Italian government.
Two Italian marines, remanded in judicial custody in connection with the killing of two Indian fishermen, created a ruckus at the central prison in Kollam on Tuesday. But the state government made it clear they would be treated according to Indian laws and court orders. The marines initially resisted orders of the authorities to occupy the room identified for them, when they were brought to the central prison from Kollam, after the court there remanded them.
Two Italian marines charged with murder in connection with the killing of two Indian fishermen, were on Monday remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by a court in Kollam and sent to the Central Prison at Thiruvananthapuram.
A day after the Italian ambassador to India was recalled for "consultations", the Italian foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the Indian ambassador in Rome Dabarata Saha in connection with the detention of two of its marines charged with the murder of two fishermen in Kerala. It was announced in Italy on Friday that it is recalling its ambassador to India, Giacomo Sanfelice, for consultations soon after a court in Kerala refused bail to the two Italian marines.
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi also expressed satisfaction with the Indian Supreme Court's decision.
As Odisha and West Bengal are bracing for a severe cyclonic storm, governments of both states started evacuating people and while deciding to close educational institutions in vulnerable areas.
Notwithstanding National Investigation Agency slapping murder charge against two Italian marines, India will honour the assurance given to Italy that the duo will not face death penalty for allegedly killing two fishermen off Kerala coast.
Confusion prevailed on Wednesday over who will probe the killing of two Kerala fishermen allegedly by two Italian marines and what charges will be slapped against the accused as External Affairs Ministry and Home Ministry expressed conflicting views over it.
In a U-turn in the Kerala fishermen killing case, the Union home ministry on Friday asked the National Investigation Agency to dilute the charges against the two accused Italian marines from murder to violence, thus sparing them from the possibility of getting death penalty.
The Italian government will see if one of the two marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 is fit enough to return to India, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni has said.
Outlining the reasons for sending back to India the two marines accused of killing Indian fishermen, Italy's outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti said Rome faced serious risk of being isolated internationally and could have opened a crisis of "serious proportions" with New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday welcomed Italy's decision to send back its two marines to face trial in India, saying the integrity and dignity of Indian judicial process has been upheld.
The Pakistan Marine Security Agency (PMSA) has arrested five fishermen and seized one fishing boat from the international waters near Jakhau of Kutch district, secretary of national fish forum claimed on Wednesday.
In a fresh development in the Italian marines case, the Law Ministry on Saturday concurred with the External Affairs Ministry on non-applicability of a controversial anti-piracy law which is being strongly contested by the Italian government.
The Delhi high court has designated the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Patiala house court in New Delhi for holding the trial of the two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen. According to official sources in the high court, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Bansal would be hearing the case.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said that diplomacy is at work resulting in Italy's decision to send back two marines charged in the fishermen killing case and parried questions on Italian media reports that Congress president Sonia Gandhi influenced that government's decision.
Thirty-eight Tamil Nadu fishermen were on Thursday arrested by Sri Lankan navy for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary line, three days after fishermen representatives of India and Sri Lanka met to discuss the vexed fishing issue.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has expressed "great satisfaction" over the release on bail of two Italian marines charged with the killing of two Indian fishermen, but said the final objective of his government is to ensure their return to the country. "I express my own and the government's great satisfaction for the liberation, under bail conditions, of our marines. An important objective has been reached," Monti said in a statement.
Italy has petitioned the United Nations over the trial of its two marines in India under a strict anti-piracy law for the killing of two Indian fishermen, and said it would exercise "all options" to bring back the naval personnel.
Kerala high court on Tuesday asked the owner of Italian Merchant Vessel Enrica Lexie and the families of the two fishermen allegedly killed by the marines whether they were willing for an out of court settlement for determining the compensation.
Asserting that the probe into the killing of fishermen by Italian marines was progressing well, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday told the state assembly that no leniency would be shown to accused Italian marines as government's priority was to ensure justice to the victims' families.
Welcoming Italy's decision to send back marines charged with the killing of two fishermen, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Friday said the development clearly established the fact that no country can question the sovereignty of India.
