Italian marines case: Home ministry says it had objected to marines’ return

NEW DELHI: Less than a fortnight before the Supreme Court mandated deadline ends for Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre to return to India, home ministry officials told ET that the ministry had objected in writing on both occasions when the two marines separately put up petitions to be allowed to go to Italy.

In a written instruction to the ministries of law and external affairs, the home ministry had said that the only guarantee for Latorre’s return would b e det a ining Girone, who had filed a plea in the Supreme Court to be allowed to go to Italy for Christmas.

"The home ministry had put in writing that Girone’s plea should be strongly objected to in SC. It was said that Girone’s presence in India is the only guarantee that Latorre will come back to India from Italy," a top government official said.

The official, who did not wish to be named, said the ministry had also objected in writing during interministerial consultations to the final decision taken by the government in September to not contest Latorre’s plea in SC to return to Italy for medical treatment for four months.

"Two things were put down in writing. One, that better medical treatment of the said ailment of the marine was available in India. Second, how could the marine be fit to travel abroad if he was so unwell? But objections were overruled," the official said.