Colombo (TIP): A Sri Lankan court ordered the release of 56 Indian fishermen who were detained for allegedly fishing in the island nation’s territorial waters on January 25, a verdict that sets free all the remaining Indian fisherfolk languishing in the country’s jails. The court in the northern Jaffna peninsula ordered the release of the fishermen who were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy in mid-December in the seas south of Mannar. Happy to learn about it, Indian High Commission in Colombo tweeted.

“Commend the work of High Commissioner GopalBaglay and his team in securing the release,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a tweet. Both Sri Lankan officials and the Indian diplomatic sources confirmed the release and noted that with Tuesday’s release there are no more Indian fishermen in the island nation’s custody.

The court order for the release of fishermen came as the Indian authorities urged Sri Lanka to release them on humanitarian grounds in the backdrop of economic assistance talks that were going on at the time. — PTI