Italian Ambassador hopes marine case will be fast, fair

Italy today said the trial against its two marines, who allegedly killed Indian fishermen off Kerala coast last year, will be fast and fair and India will honour its commitment given to Rome.

"India has given commitment that the case will be fast and fair and I am confident that they will honour the commitment given to Italy that the case will be fast and fair," Italy's Ambassador to India Daniele Mancini told PTI here.

Mancini, who met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, however, refused to say anything when asked whether Italy was satisfied with the progress of the case.

"I do not want to get into that," he said.

Asked how the two marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, were doing, the envoy said, "They are in the Embassy compound. They are fine".

The two marines were on board an Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie' when they had allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012.

Italy had maintained that since the incident had taken place in international water, Indian courts have no jurisdiction to conduct the trial.

However, the Supreme Court had ruled that the incident took place at a distance of about 20.5 nautical miles from the coastline of Kerala and, therefore, it occurred not within the territorial waters of the coastline of Kerala state, but within the Contiguous Zone.

The apex court had shifted the case to the national capital saying the Kerala Police has no jurisdiction over the case and backed the government's decision to hand over the case to NIA.