Thiruvananthapuram:
The Independent Federation of Fishermen of Kerala has urged upon both the state and the Centre to institute an additional special court to try the Italian marines, accused of shooting two Indian fishermen last year.
Last week, the Union government said the marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, charged with murder, will be tried by a special court in Delhi.
Mr T Peter, the chief of the fishermen's federation, said, "We are requesting that another special court should be appointed because the fishermen's representatives from Kerala can't go Delhi."
If convicted, the marines can serve their sentence at home as part of a recent agreement between India and Italy. India has also given an assurance that the marines would not face the death penalty and that they would be housed at the Italian embassy during their trial.
The marines flew back to India after a dramatic turnaround by Italy, which had triggered a massive diplomatic crisis between the two countries by announcing on March 16 that they would not return.
The marines had been allowed to travel home for four weeks by the Supreme Court to vote in the national election after the Italian ambassador Daniele Mancini had given an undertaking that they would return to face trial in India.