HC reserves orders on US ship crew plea to quash FIR

The Madras High Court today reserved its orders on a petition by 35 crew members of the US anti-piracy ship 'Seaman Guard Ohio' seeking to quash an FIR filed by Tamil Nadu Q Branch Police charging them with entering Indian waters illegally last year.
Justice P N Prakash of Madurai Bench reserved orders without mentioning any date on conclusion of arguments which touched various aspects including the jurisdictional power of the Q Branch police to file such a case against the crew members.
The petitioners contended they were only providing security to ships from the pirates, and they had valid authorisation and permission to have arms.

The police argued that they had entered the Indian territory with arms without proper authorisation.
The crew members were arrested for entering the Indian waters off Tuticorin without proper authorisation and carrying arms in the ship on October 12, 2013.
Of the 35 crew members, 33, including 12 Indians, had been granted bail, while Captain Dudenic Valentine (a Ukranian) and Vice-Captain Paul David Dennis Towers (a British) were not given the relief by the high court.