Italy today said it was taking "all necessary measures" to ensure the return from India of one of its marines accused in the 2012 killing of two Indian fishermen, hours after India's Supreme Court allowed his colleague to stay in Italy for six months on medical grounds.
"Italy is preparing to put in place all necessary measures to enable Salvatore Girone, the other marine involved in the case and who is still in India, to return to Italy," the Foreign Ministry here said in a statement.
While Massimiliano Latorre is currently in Italy, his colleague Girone is living at Italy's Embassy in New Delhi.
The statement came after the Supreme Court allowed Latorre to stay in Italy for six more months on medical grounds, after the Indian government did not object to his plea.
Italian government today told the Supreme Court that it has invoked international arbitration challenging India's jurisdiction to try the two marines, accused of killing the two Indian fishermen.
India's Additional Solicitor General (ASG) P S Narasimha told the apex court that India, being a signatory to the International Convention, would participate in these arbitration proceedings.
The bench asked Latorre to file an undertaking that he would abide by its conditions within a week and ordered that the six-month extension would start from July 15.
Latorre, who had suffered a brain stroke on August 31 last year, was allowed by the apex court on September 12 last year to go to Italy for four months.
On April 9, the court had allowed Latorre to remain in Italy for three more months till today on medical grounds.
The marines, who were on board ship 'Enrica Lexie', are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012, under the misconception that they were pirates.
