The Supreme Court on Thursday extended the stay of Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre in Italy till July 15 on medical grounds.
"The application was moved on health grounds. He (Massimilano Lattore) had asked for a three month extension. The Court has granted an extension upto July 15 for him to continue his stay in Italy after hearing the matter," said Additional Solicitor General Pinki Anand.
"The Supreme Court has also directed that the writ petition filed by them (Italian marines) in which stay has been granted of the trial must be taken up for hearing in the last week of April 2015," she added.
Earlier in January, the apex court had extended by three months Chief Master Sergeant Latorre's stay in Italy for his recovery after his heart surgery.
The application seeking extension states that Latorre has been specifically asked to continue to undergo intensive rehabilitation therapy in his home environment to help him recover.
Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, part of a military security team protecting a cargo ship off the coast of Kerala, say they thought the fishermen were pirates and fired shots to warn them off in February 2012.
The case has become a sensitive political issue in both countries. In India, supporters of harsh penalties for the marines had marched on the streets, while in Rome the lights illuminating the Colosseum were turned off last year in a protest demanding the two be allowed to return home.
