The Supreme Court Wednesday extended by three months Italian Marine Massimilano Latorre's stay in Italy for his recovery following a heart surgery earlier this month.
The bench of Justice Anil R. Dave, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh extended the stay of Chief Master Sergeant Latorre after his counsel Soli Sorabjee told the court that the Marine required three months to become medically fit after the heart surgery he underwent Jan 5.
The court, however, took on record an undertaking by the Italian ambassador assuring the court of the Marine's return on the expiry of the extended period.
Sorabjee told the court that the undertaking by the ambassador was similar to one given by him in September 2014, when the court had allowed Latorre to go to Italy for four months for treatment, recovery and rehabilitation after he suffered a brain stroke.
Latorre along with another Marine, Salvatore Girone, are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in February 2012, allegedly mistaking them for pirates.
Latorre had urged the apex court Jan 7 to extend his stay in Italy.
The bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice A.K. Sikri Jan 12 had declined to hear the plea by Latorre as it had declined an earlier plea Dec 16, 2014 seeking extension of his stay in Italy on account of the then scheduled heart surgery.
Additional Solicitor General P.S. Narasimha's plea to allow the extended stay by two months only was resisted by Sorabjee as he told the court to let Latorre come back fit and healthy to face trial in the fishermen killing case.
As the court inquired what was the stage of the trial against the two Marines, it was told that the pleading in the case against Latorre and Girone have completed.
