TRIVANDRUM(India), February28 2012: The Kerala high court on Monday directed the Cochin port authorities to ensure that the Italian vessel, involved in the killing of two Indian fishermen, did not leave the port until 5pm on Tuesday.A division bench of the court headed by Justice V Ramkumar gave the direction while hearing an appeal filed by the wife of a deceased fisherman against a single bench order allowing the vessel, Enrica Lexie, to leave the city after furnishing a bank guarantee of Rs2.5 million. In her petition, Doramma, wife of Jelestine, one of the two fishermen shot dead by two Italian marines off the Aleppey coast on February 15, sought a compensation of Rs10 million. The victim’s widow urged the court not to allow the vessel to leave the Indian waters till her claim is settled. Observing that the bank guarantee of Rs2.5 million ordered by the single bench of the court was inadequate, the division bench directed the ship owners to deposit additional Rs1 million as bank guarantee. The judges asked the counsel of the vessel owners why they were miserly in providing compensation to the families of the victims. The court enquired whether the ship was insured. The judges said that the compensation sought by the victims’ families was not big for the ship owners. Meanwhile, owner of the fishing boat whose workers were killed has moved the high court seeking a compensation of Rs7.5 million. The petition said that the boat was lying idle since the incident, causing losses to him and his workers. The two Italian naval officers, Latore Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone, arrested in connection with the incident, are in police custody now. The Kerala police have registered a case of murder against them at the Neendakara Coastal police station.
