KOCHI: Former Union minister KV Thomas on Saturday came down heavily on the NDA government for the delay in filing an appeal against the International Arbitration Tribunal’s verdict on the Enrica Lexie case. While upholding India’s conduct on the matter, the tribunal had ruled that India cannot prosecute the two Italian marines, who were accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012.
The senior Congress leader alleged that the Modi government kept both the Kerala government and the Supreme Court in the dark about the case for a month. “The victims’ family members were given `1 crore compensation. The Centre’s lethargy has blocked the scope of any more compensation for them,” he said.