Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam on Thursday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to save the lives of five fishermen from Rameswaram who were sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court on charges of smuggling narcotics.

In a letter to Modi, the chief minister said, "The people of Tamil Nadu are shocked and deeply grieved to learn of the judgment of the Colombo high court convicting and sentencing the fishermen from Tamil Nadu to death on charges of smuggling narcotics."

The fishermen -- Emerson, Agastas, Wilson, Prasath and Langlet -- set out from Rameswaram fishing base on November 28, 2011. They were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy on charges of possessing narcotics. The state consistently insisted that the fishermen were innocent and that the case had been foisted on them.

Raising serious doubts over the trial, Panneerselvam said it was the paramount duty of the Union government to protect the lives and liberty of the innocent fishermen. "I request you to take up the matter with the highest authorities in Sri Lanka to ensure that the lives of the five innocent Indian fishermen are saved and they are released to return home at the earliest," he said.

The chief minister said Indian high commission in Sri Lanka should set in motion the legal procedure for appeal within the statutory period in the appropriate appellate forum. The state government would continue to meet the entire legal costs of the case, he said.

He urged the Prime Minister to instruct the Indian high commission not to spare any effort to save the lives of the fishermen.

"Failure to take immediate decisive action in this case and secure justice for the five fishermen will greatly inflame the already bruised emotions among the people of Tamil Nadu," Panneerselvam said.

The state government has sanctioned special assistance to pay the legal fees for defending the fishermen, besides sanctioning a special livelihood assistance to their families.
(Times of India)