Supreme Court to hear Italian government's plea on Girone

New Delhi, May 23: The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday a plea by the Italian government seeking the relaxation of bail conditions of its marine, Sergeant Major Salvatore Girone, so that he can return to his country.

Girone is held in India, being one of the two Italian sailors accused in the killing in 2012 of two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast.

An apex court vacation bench of Justice Prafulla C. Pant and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud agreed to hear the plea after Additional Solicitor General Pinki Anand supported the plea by the Italian government for relaxing the bail conditions so that Girone can travel to Italy while remaining under the court's command.

The Italian government sought the relaxation in the wake of April 29 order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) asking India and Italy to cooperate in relaxing the bail conditions so that Girone could return to his country during the pendency of the arbitration proceedings before it.

The ITLOS is holding an international arbitration to decide the question of jurisdiction between India and Italy as to who will try the two Italian marines, Chief Master Sergeant Massimiliano Latorre and Girone, for killing two Indian fishermen.

Latorre is already in Italy on the grounds of indifferent health and treatment.

IANS