Airports across the country have been alerted to prevent Italian Ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving India.
The decision was taken by the Union Home Ministry a day after the Supreme Court restrained the Italian Ambassador from leaving India without its permission, official sources said.
The Supreme Court had taken exception to Italian government’s refusal to send back two marines charged with the killing of two fishermen.
The two marines were allowed by the court to go to Italy to cast their vote in the elections there after the Italian Ambassador had given an assurance to send them back.
Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati had brought the issue on Thursday before the Supreme Court, saying that “its a breach of undertaking given to the highest court of the land and the government is extremely concerned about it”.
After hearing Mr. Vahanvati’s submission, the bench issued notices to the Ambassador and the two marines and asked them to file their response by March 18.
The two marines were on board Italian vessel ‘Enrica Lexie’, when they shot dead two fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012.
While I am as furious as anybody else about Italy's actions, the
Ambassador has diplomatic immunity, violating which, for ANY reason,
would earn us international condemnation and solidify the Italian
position. The government can declare him persona non grata for lying
to us and not keeping the Italian promise to return the marines, but
restricting his movements in any way would, in the long term, be
counter productive. Our anger should be directed at the people who
allowed this fiasco to happen in the first place, the Government of
India. Since when are homicide suspects given parole and allowed to
leave the jurisdiction of any court?
Diplomatic immunity is a concept in international law companies adhere on the basis
of reciprocity and international conventions. Violation of it has real consequences.
"Diplomatic chicanery" is an irrelevant phrase.
This is a good move....
The ambassador should be arrested immediately.
Diplomatic immunity is one thing and diplomatic chicanery is quite another; just to make sure that the good Mr. Ambassador does not give us the slip, I'm wondering if it is possible to ensure that his passport is confiscated or held in escrow until the marines are sent back to India by his country.
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