Framing of charges against all the accused in the case pertaining to detention of armed vessel off the Tuticorin coast has been fixed for August 24.
When the case came up for hearing on Wednesday, District Principal Sessions Judge N. Rajasekar ordered all the accused to be present in the court on August 24 as charges against them would be framed on that day.
M.V. Seaman Guard Ohio, a Sierra Leone-registered vessel owned by a company in Washington D.C., was found anchored off the Tuticorin port with a huge cache of prohibited firearms, ammunition and fuel on October 12, 2013 and subsequently detained by the Indian Coast Guard.
All ten sailors and 25 armed guards in the ship were also arrested by the ‘Q’ Branch of the State CID.
After the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court quashed charges framed against them under the Arms Act, saying that there was nothing wrong in the ship possessing arms and ammunition as it was involved in “anti-piracy business” and acquitted all 35, the ‘Q’ Branch police made an appeal in the Supreme Court, which quashed the single judge’s order acquitting the personnel.
Moreover, the apex court also ordered the Tuticorin District Principal Sessions Court to complete the trial of the case and give its judgment within six months.
Based on this ruling, the case came up for hearing before Judge Mr. Rajasekar on Wednesday, who ordered the staff to arrange for interpreters since most of the accused in this case are foreigners.
While all 35 persons accused under the Arms Act and 7 persons connected to the illegal diesel supply to this ship were present in the court, one Maria Antony Vijay did not appear before the court when the trial commenced.
Adjourning the case to August 24, the Judge ordered all the accused to present in the court on that day as charges would be framed against them.
