The Central Government in its recent plea before the Supreme Court has urged to close the judicial proceedings against two Italian marines. These two marines from Italy are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012.
Now in the recent plea to the Supreme Court, SG Tushar Mehta mentions that the victims’ families have been paid compensation, that’s why all judicial proceedings against Italian marines should be closed. SC lists Govt’s plea next week.
Centre mentions its plea before #SupremeCourt for closing judicial proceedings against two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012. SG Tushar Mehta informs victims’ families have been paid compensation. SC lists Govt’s plea next week.
— Utkarsh Anand (@utkarsh_aanand) April 7, 2021
Popularly known as the Enrica Lexie case, this shooting happened on international waters on 15th February 2012. The two Italian marines aboard the Italian-flagged commercial oil tanker MB Enrica Lexie killed the two Indian fishermen aboard St. Anthony. Since then trials of those two Italian marines have been happening in the Supreme Court in India.
After several years, during which the case became a political controversy in India, Italy decided to invoke the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) court in August 2015. The court directed a stay on the proceedings in India pending Italy’s case at the Permanent Court of Arbitrage at The Hague in the Netherland. The Supreme Court, which had been hearing the matter, suspended its proceedings shortly after.
In its case, Italy had criticised the Indian government for detaining the marines without charging them, and for causing their health to deteriorate during the period of delay. The matter led to a long freeze in diplomatic relations between India and Italy, which were reset only in 2016 when then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Rome for the canonisation ceremony of Mother Teresa and met with her Italian counterpart.
