<span style="color: #222222;">Sri Lankan government has decided to release 174 Indian fishing boats taken into custody since 2014 for trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. Based on the order by country's Attorney General, all boats will be handed over to Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry by Saturday after which it will be sent to India after formalities. <br />''<br />''Indian High Commission in Colombo has been pursuing for the release of these boats for the past few months. <br />''<br />''The Sri Lankan navy has been arresting Indian fishermen along with their boats on charges of poaching into their waters since 2014. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Although the fishermen have been released regularly on humanitarian grounds, the boats were detained. Sri Lankan government had released 32 boats, which were taken into custody before 2014. <br />''<br />''Under the new law Sri Lanka enacted in February this year, the owners of the fishing trawlers must appear before the court. A foreign boat illegally fishing in Sri Lankan waters can be fined from 15 lakh up to 17.5 crore Sri Lankan rupees depending on the length of the vessel.</span><br />''  <br />