An Indian ship captain was on Sunday sentenced to life imprisonment while five crewmembers were handed down five years jail term by a UAE court for murdering a compatriot on board a vessel.
The UAE courts in Fujairah sentenced the Captain Jitendra Malhotra and five crewmembers for murdering Nonia Jagannathan, who was working as a fitter on the ship, in February.
31-year-old Jagannathan, who hails from Mumbai, was beaten to death by his mates on board a Norwegian oil tanker stationed in international waters off the coast of the emirate of Fujairah in the UAE.
The ship, which was coming from New Manglore Port in Karnataka, was to dock at Fujairah port.
Fujairah police got involved in the case as the emirate was the nearest coast to the vessel, Champion, which was in international waters after delivering chemicals from Mangalore to Fujairah. It was proceeding to Kuwait to pick up another shipment.
An appeal is to be filed by the crewmembers as the family of the deceased; Sudheer Nonia Jagannathan has pardoned the ships crewmembers.
The pardon was not taken cognisance on Sunday as it was not certified and attested by the Maharashtra government.
{{/usCountry}}The pardon was not taken cognisance on Sunday as it was not certified and attested by the Maharashtra government.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian embassy had tried to shift the case to India, saying all the accused and victims were Indians, but in the end the UAE courts claimed jurisdiction over the matter.