Supreme Court of India has exempted one of the Italian marines, who suffered brain stroke, from personal appearance before police for two weeks.
The Marines, Massimilliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone, have been held in India since February 2012 when they allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off the coast of the south Indian state of Kerala, mistaking them for pirates.
The marines were serving as security personnel on an Italian oil tanker MT Enrica Lexie crossing the Indian Ocean.
India claims jurisdiction in the case while Italy alleges the incident took place in international waters and the marines should be tried in their home country.
Also read: Italian marines case: A diplomatic train wreck
Italian Marines not to be tried under anti-piracy law
The central government Monday told the Supreme Court that it was not invoking the anti-piracy SUA Act against the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala in 2012.
However, the centre told an apex court bench headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan that the probe would continue to be carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
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AK Antony criticises Narendra Modi over remarks on marines issue
Defence Minister AK Antony on Tuesday hit out at Narendra Modi for his veiled attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the Italian marines issue, saying the BJP Prime Minister candidate was making baseless allegations.
"Modi is making baseless allegations. This itself proves that Modi is inefficient to become the Prime Minister", he told reporters here.
Antony was responding to Modi's speech at an election rally at Itanagar yesterday when he asked Sonia Gandhi to come clean on who helped the two marines get "safe passage" from the country after killing two fishermen off Kerala coast.
A secular government under the Congress-led UPA would come to power at the Centre after the polls, he said.
"If the CPI(M) was sincere in their commitment against communal forces, they will have to support the Front under the leadership of the Congress," he said.
Maintaining that no political party would get majority in the elections, Antony said 'after the election several parties that are contesting against Congress will come forward to support the party to form the government".
The talk of a Third Front alternative by the CPI(M) was a closed chapter, he said, adding, Congress was still holding talks with several regional parties and specially in Telangana for an alliance.
"You are going to hear some important news shortly," he said, without elaborating.
"The basic difference between Congress and CPI(M) is that Congress will correct the mistakes it had done, while CPI(M) will repeat the same mistake again and again," he said.
To a query on the chances of he becoming the Prime Minister, Antony said "I do not have mad dreams. I know fully well my limitations'.
On CBI rejecting Kerala government's plea to probe "the conspiracy" angle behind the politically sensitive murder case of T P Chandrasekharan in which a special court had convicted 11 accused, including three CPI-M functionaries, Antony said "CPI(M) was opposing a CBI probe because it was scared that the party's role in the incident will come to light'.
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