Two Italian marines, facing trial in India for killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast and recently granted permission to go home, will not return to India. The Italian ambassador in New Delhi, Daniele Mancini, has delivered a note verbale to the External Affairs Ministry in this regard. The Ministry said, it received a communication from Italy late last night which it would examine carefully.

Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, charged with homicide for killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast in February last year, after mistaking them for pirates, were permitted by the Supreme Court to go to Italy for four weeks to vote in last month’s election. Earlier, the duo were allowed to go home during Christmas, however, they returned to India on the expiry of their leave.

However, in a surprise development, the Italian Foreign Ministry accused Indian authorities of violating international rights by detaining the marines and said it was open to let an international arbitrator assess the case. Italy has argued that the marines should be tried in their home country.

On January 18th this year, the Apex court turned down the Italian government’s plea that the Indian courts had no jurisdiction in the case and held that the two marines should be tried in Delhi by a special court. The apex court had also asked the government to set up the special court for the hearing of the case.