The two Italian Marines facing trial over shooting two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast reported to the Chanakyapuri police station here on Saturday. The Marines were brought from Kochi to Delhi late on Friday night by an Air India flight after the Supreme Court ruled that their trial would take place in a special court.
The Chanakyapri police station house officer (SHO) Amardeep Sehgal told this newspaper that the two Marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, had marked their attendance to him on Saturday noon.
He said that the Marines, who are accused of gunning down two Indian fishermen while on board Italy-flagged oil tanker Enrica Lexie in February 2012, were asked to report to him once in a week as per the Supreme Court’s order.
The Italian embassy in Delhi, which falls under the Chanakyapuri police station constituency, has provided accommodation to the Marines who are currently on bail. Embassy officials accompanied them to the police station on their first weekly reporting to the SHO.
As per the Supreme Court’s order on Friday, the Marines cannot leave the precincts of Delhi without the leave of the SC, which had stated that the case would be under its jurisdiction until a special court was set up for the trial of the accused. The Marines’ passports, which are now with the trial court in Kollam, will be handed over to the Union home ministry.
The Marines, who had left Kochi accompanied by Italian Consul General in India Giampaolo Cutillo and other officials at 8 o’clock on Friday night, had reached Delhi at around 11.30 night.
Their transfer had occurred hours after the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Kerala government had no jurisdiction to probe their case while also adding that it was for the Centre to proceed with the investigation and trial of the case.
The court had also ruled out Italy’s argument that the killing had happened in the international waters and the case should be handed over to Italy.