In an affidavit, the Ministry of External Affairs told a bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir that the Kerala government had acted within the law in initiating criminal action against the Italian mariners.u00a0

Maintaining that the Italian government had not come with clean hands to the court, the Centre said the former also had no Constitutional right to move the apex court as it was not entitled to any fundamental right which is guaranteed to every citizen of the country.