New Delhi, April 26, 2013- The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the National Investigating Agency (NIA) will continue to probe into the killing of two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast by two Italian marines in February last year.
The apex court order comes after the Italian government filed a plea against the invoking of a stringent act and NIA probe into the case.
Italy and its two marines had submitted that the NIA should not conduct the investigation as the charges slapped on the accused were not covered under the NIA Act.
The argument however was rejected by the Indian government in court.
If convicted, the two marines could face death sentence and this too has become a bone of contention between Italy and India.
Italy is against death penalty for the marines. But according to the Indian government, it never assured Italy against capital punishment for the accused.
The NIA would now continue its investigations into the killing of fishermen Gelastine and Ajesh Binki on February 15, 2012. The marines, Lattore Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone, posted as security staff on board an Italian cargo vessel, had mistaken the fishermen for pirates.
