Italy ship row: ASG puts Centre in a tight spot

 Saturday, April 21, 2012: The UPA Government at the Centre has come under sharp attack from various quarters in Kerala over Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval’s submission in the Supreme Court that Italian ship Enrica Lexie was not within Indian territorial waters when the marines aboard it had allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen on February 15.
Seizing on the development, the critics said ASG’s submission amounted to reinforcing Italy’s assertion that Indian courts had no jurisdiction to try the case since the alleged incident happened when the ship was in international waters.
The family of the deceased fisherman Valentine Jalastine, the Latin Catholic Church and fishery unions have expressed shock and anguish at the position taken by the Centre’s legal officer when the case came up for consideration in the apex court yesterday.
The ruling Congress-led UDF in the state also found itself in a bind as ASG’s submission contradicted the stand of the government headed by Oommen Chandy which firmly held that India has every legal competence to try the case under its law.
Reacting to the development, Chandy who was in New Delhi yesterday, said he would bring the matter to the notice of the Central leaders as the state had always taken the position that the victims should receive justice.