Bengaluru, May 26 (Agencies): The Supreme Court today allowed Salvatore Girone's plea seeking relaxation of bail conditions, to enable him to return to Italy. His request was supported by the Government on humanitarian grounds.

Two Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone are facing charges of murdering two fishermen in 2012 off the Kerala coast. Latorre was allowed to return to Italy after a stroke in 2014 while Girone is staying at the Italian embassy in New Delhi.

Italy asserts that the incident took place in international waters and, therefore, the Marines should be tried in Italy or in an international court. India, however, maintains that it can try them because it says the killings happened in coastal waters under Indian jurisdiction and the victims were Indians.

A UN arbitration tribunal had earlier ruled in favour of Girone, held in India on murder charges, by allowing him to return home pending the arbitration proceedings at the Hague.

The Supreme Court last year suspended all court proceedings against the duo in pursuance of an interim order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) asking India to maintain "status quo" in the case.