Following Friday’s Supreme Court verdict that the Kerala government has no jurisdiction over the Enrica Lexie case, the two Italian marines Massimilano Lattore and Salvatore Girone will shift their stay from Kochi to Delhi. Legal sources said that they are scheduled to leave for New Delhi by an Air India flight at 8.45 p.m. on Friday. The marines were arrested on February 19 last year in connection with the case.
The marines, who were lodged at Central Jail at Thiruvananthapuram, got conditional bail from the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here after furnishing a bank guarantee of Rs. 2 crore each. Following a Kerala High Court verdict in December the marines were given conditional permission to spend Christmas with their families in Italy. The conditions included a bank guarantee of Rs. 6 crore. The marines returned to Kochi on January 4.
The sources told The Hindu that the marines will stay at the Italian Embassy complex in New Delhi and as per the Supreme Court order will report before the Chanakyapuri police station once a week.
In view of the verdict there is confusion over the validity of the First Information Report prepared by the Special Investigation Team of the Kerala Police on the basis of which prosecution proceedings began before the District and Sessions Court here, the sources feel.
The Supreme Court in its verdict called upon the Centre to set up a special court to hear the case. The case pertains to the marines opening fire from the Italian flagged ship Enrica Lexie and killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala waters on February 15.
Published - January 18, 2013 04:55 pm IST
