Raval will not appear in Italian ship case: Chandy

Kerala CM Oommen Chandy said there was no change in the state`s stand on the issue and that ASG Harin Raval will not appear in the case.

Kochi: Peeved over the Additional Solicitor General`s submission in the Supreme Court on the Italian ship shooting incident, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday said there was no change in the state`s stand on the issue and that ASG Harin Raval will not appear in the case.
Speaking to reporters here, Chandy said he had called up the Solicitor General yesterday asking him not to allow Raval to appear in the case.

"The Solicitor General has agreed to this," Chandy said.
He said Kerala had informed the central government at each stage of the case and had received full support.

Raval had submitted that the Italian ship `Enrica Lexie` was not within Indian territorial waters when the two marines aboard it had allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast on February 15.

Following the submission,the ruling Congress-led UDF in Kerala found itself in a bind as it contradicted the stand of the government headed by Chandy which held that India has every legal competence to try the case under its law.

Chandy had earlier said he would bring the matter to the notice of the Central leaders as the state had always taken the position that the victims should receive justice.

Referring to the submission, Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily told reporters in Thrissur that the Centre and Kerala were not on different "wavelengths" on the issue.

"Sometimes the views expressed are not in consonance with the views of central government. I do not think that the central government and state government are on different wavelengths," he said.

"Whenever there are mistakes, we have corrected them," Moily said.

PTI

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