SC to hear Italian marine’s plea

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the plea of an Italian sailor, accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast, for easier bail conditions

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the plea of an Italian sailor, accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast, for easier bail conditions that will allow him to go home.

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Earlier this month, the UN’s permanent court of arbitration in The Hague ruled that Salvatore Girone, who is out on bail and lives in the Italian embassy in Delhi, be allowed to return till the dispute was resolved. Massimiliano Latorre, the other accused, returned to Italy after a stroke in 2014. The court recently allowed him to extend his stay to September 30.

On Monday, a vacation bench comprising justice PC Pant and justice DY Chandrachud agreed to hear Girone’s plea that seeks modification of a Kerala high court order granting him bail. The marine said he should be allowed to go back till the UN panel decided on the issue of jurisdiction. Italy and India have been making contrary claims over the right to prosecute the marines.