India assured the Italian government that two marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen will neither be liable for arrest on their return to India nor will be awarded death penalty in the case. They returned in an Italian air force plane on Friday.

Members of the political parties in parliament may call it a diplomatic victory after Italy government agreed to send their marines back to India, but External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid saw no reason why the opposition and the department took credit for marines’ return.

He said that the government had hoped that the marines would return to India to face their trial. He made it clear that the accused will not face death penalty as the case is not a rarest of rare case.

The two Italian marines, Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone were taken straight to the Italian Embassy after they arrived in New Delhi. They will face trial by a special court set up by the Supreme Court.

It can be assumed that the marines could serve their prison term in Italy.