India denies bail to Italian marines charged with murder

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An Indian court denied bail on Saturday to two Italian marines charged with murder over the killing of two fishermen shot dead off the country's southwestern coast.

The move came a day after murder charges were laid against the marines and Rome recalled its ambassador from New Delhi for "consultations" over the case.

The marines deny murder, saying they mistook the fishermen for pirates.

Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were deployed as guards on an Italian oil tanker in the Indian Ocean when they shot dead the two fishermen on February 15.

The marines, who have been held in prison for three months, were denied bail at a court in Kollam, a city in the southwest corner of the coastal state of Kerala.

The prosecution had challenged the bail application on grounds the accused might seek to influence witnesses or flee the country.

The judge said he accepted the prosecution's arguments. He called for a "speedy trial" in order to "deliver natural justice in the case."

In response to the charges, the foreign ministry in Rome said on Friday: "The Italian ambassador to New Delhi has been recalled to Rome for consultations on the matter of the marines."

India has said that the two countries "have the maturity to address this challenge together" and that the case should not affect good bilateral relations. (AFP)