With Mumbai courts convicting all 44 Somali pirates in the MV Ruen and Al Kambar 786 hijacking cases, Public Prosecutor Advocate Ranjeet V Sangle, who has handled six of India’s seven piracy trials, says the verdicts reinforce India’s zero-tolerance approach to maritime piracy. In an interview with mid-day, he speaks about the significance of the convictions, the Indian Navy’s role and a conversation he had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a decade ago.

Excerpts from the interview.