Italian marine row: Indian solicitor general blames Italy

New Delhi: The Italian government has gone back on its undertaking to the Supreme Court by refusing to send back its two marines, accused of shooting dead two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala, a top law officer said today. Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran said, “It is sad that rule of law is being flouted at the highest level of court.” [caption id=“attachment_657957” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone. PTI[/caption] “After submitting to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, nobody, however high and mighty, can take the Supreme Court for a ride,” he said. After giving an undertaking to the apex court, the Italian government should abide by it, he said. The two accused marines, Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone, were allowed by the apex court on 22 February to travel to Italy for four weeks under the control and custody of the Ambassador of Italy in India, to cast their ballot in the elections scheduled for February 24 and 25. The court had said that the marines are only allowed to travel to Italy and remain there and will have to return to India. The two marines were on board the Italian vessel ‘Enrica Lexie’, when they had shot dead the two fishermen on 15 February, last year. On 18 January, the apex court had turned down the Italian government’s plea that the Indian courts had no jurisdiction in the case and had held that the two marines should be tried by the Centre by constituting a special court to conduct their trial. It had directed that the two be shifted to Delhi and would remain under it’s ‘custody’ till the special court is set up. The court had said that the Kerala government did not have the jurisdiction to prosecute the two foreign marines and it is to be done by the Centre in the special court to be set up after consulting the CJI. The court had also said that all the conditions imposed on them by the Kerala court, while granting them bail will remain till the special court is set up and the marines will mark their presence at least once a week before Chanakyapuri Police Station. PTI