Malta boat tragedy: Court orders framing of charges

The court,however,dismissed the charges under the Immigration Act and Passport Act against the accused,holding that the CBI could not furnish any evidence in this regard.

The magistrate ordered all the accused to be present on August 1 when the court will ask them whether they wanted to plead guilty or contest the case.

The two ACPs,B S Meena and Jag Parvesh Chand,who were posted with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office when the tragedy took place,have been accused of giving travel clearances without valid documents to the tragedy-struck passengers.

A case had been registered against 27 people in 1997,seven of whom have since died. The remaining 20,most of whom were travel agents,were on bail.

According to the CBI,the immigrants,mainly from Punjab,had left Delhi in September 1996 on the assurance that they would be smuggled into various European countries. They had taken off for Dubai from Delhi on various Gulf-based airlines after getting entry at the IGI airport.

Apart from the 170 Indians,395 other illegal migrants from Pakistan,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had also boarded a ship for Italy on December 25,1996. Near Malta,the immigrants were shifted to an 18-foot boat which capsized. A total 290 people were drowned in the icy waters.

The criminal proceeding in the case assumes importance as an Italian court recently awarded a 30-year jail term to Trab Ahmed Sheikh and Jarvodakiz,members of a gang involved in international human trafficking,after they were found guilty in the Malta boat tragedy.