Police not to extend custody

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Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose has said the special investigation team that probes the sea-firing case will not seek extension of police custody of the two arrested marines. This means the Italians will be taken to prison on Thursday.

The marines Latorre Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone (in the picture), who are in police custody since February 19, have to be presented before the Kollam chief judicial magistrate on Thursday.

Though the two were remanded for 14 days by the CJM court on February 20, it had sent them to police custody first for three days and thereafter for a week.

The DGP reiterated that the shooting incident occurred in the Indian territory. He also said that the ongoing admiralty case in the Kerala high court will not affect the case in respect of the criminal charges filed before the CJM court.

Meanwhile, the CJM court in Kollam partially permitted the Italian government to have its officials present in the Forensic Lab, but only for the "de sealing and test firing" during the examination of the arms and ammunitions seized from the Italian Vessel Enrica Lexie.

The examination is being done by the special investigation team that probes into the firing from the ship which killed two fishermen on February 15.

The defence filed an application in the court on Wednesday morning, asking permission for the Italian presence during weapon examination at FSL. During hearing, the prosecution argued that the accused had no right to seek such a permission.

The defence filed another application in the afternoon, representing the Italian government. It argued that the seized weapons belonged to the Italian government and were not the personal weapons of the marines.

So, Italian government representatives should be permitted to have their presence during the examination. The prosecution opposed the application and argued that FSL was an institution with confidentiality and secrecy under our jurisdiction.

After the hearing, P V Aneeshkumar, CJM in-charge, Kollam, granted the request, partially, saying the case was a special one with bilateral importance. Abhixit Sing and Abhilash Kumar H appeared for the defence while assistant public prosecutor Manjula Itty appeared for the prosecution.