Madurai: The five-week trial faced by all Tamil Nadu fishermen in prison in Sri Lanka ended on Tuesday as the Sri Lankan court directed their release.
The Minister of External Affairs J Jaishankar Tweeted, assumed the work of Gopal Baglay, Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, and his team in securing the release.
The announcement was celebrated by relatives of fishermen in Rameswaram.
The fishermen were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy in three batches from December 18 to 20 with 10 mechanical vessels because they were caught fishing several marine miles outside the international maritime line (IMBL) in the waters of Sri Lanka.
Can be recalled that 12 of them were released by the Lankan Court earlier this month.
While nine of them returned home, the other three must be in quarantine because they were tested positive for Covid-19.
56 Fishermen released on Tuesday are expected to return to Tamil Nadu by air before the end of this week.
N J Bose, who is the President of the Federation of all mechanical fisherman associations in Rameswaram, thanked the Government of Tamil Nadu for the efforts taken against the liberation of fishermen.
He also urged the ministerial and central heads to accelerate efforts to release 10 trawles used by 68 fishermen who were arrested by Lankan Navy during the arrest.