Italian marine Girone can go home: SC

R Sedhuraman

Legal correspondent

New Delhi, May 26

The Supreme Court on Thursday let Italian marine Salvatore Girone go home and stay there till further order.

Girone and fellow Italian marine Massimilano Latorre are facing charges of killing two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast in February 2012.

A vacation Bench comprising Justices PC Pant and DY Chandrachud granted permission to Girone as the Centre had no objection to the plea of the accused.

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Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor-General PS Narasimha said the UN’s international arbitration Tribunal on law of seas had suggested letting Girone go home until the tribunal decided as to who should try the two accused marines — India or an international forum.

India was bound by the Tribunal’s suggestion as New Delhi was a signatory to the UN convention, the ASG said.
The Supreme Court, however, imposed restrictions on Girone. He would have to surrender his passport to Italian authorities and would have to return to India and face trial in the event of the UN body holding that New Delhi had jurisdiction in the case. Latorre is already in Italy on health ground, while Girone is in the Italian embassy here.