The development occurs one month after Qatar’s Court of First Instance sentenced the eight former members of the Indian Navy to death.
According to a media report, a court in Qatar has accepted the Narendra Modi government’s appeal against the execution of eight former Indian navy members who were detained on suspicion of espionage and has agreed to hear their plea shortly without providing a timeframe.
This news comes one month after the Court of First Instance in Qatar sentenced the eight former members of the Indian Navy to death.
News source The Quint quoted “…sources close to the men’s families” in their article regarding the acceptance of the appeal.
On March 25, eight veterans of the Indian Navy were prosecuted and put on trial under Qatari law. However, things took a turn for the worst on October 26 when the local court handed out death sentences.
The ministry of external affairs declared that it would investigate all legal options in the issue, calling the verdict “deeply” disturbing.
According to preliminary information, the Court of First Instance of Qatar rendered a decision today in the legal matter concerning eight Indian workers of the Al Dahra company. We are waiting on the whole ruling and are really startled by the death penalty decision.
The MEA had stated in a statement, “We are investigating all legal alternatives and are in contact with the family members and the legal team.
The individuals who were detained were identified as former Indian Navy members who work for Dahra Global. They included Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh.
In order to guarantee that the officers have full access to appeals and that the government does everything possible to secure their release as soon as possible, the Congress has called on the government to ensure the eight men’s release. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has stated that his party expects the government to use its diplomatic and political leverage with the Qatari government to the fullest extent possible.
August 2022 saw the arrest of the Indian nationals, who were all workers for Dahra Global, a company situated in Doha.
The former military officers received some respite from Qatari authorities after their detention last year when they were placed in a double-bed occupancy jail ward with their coworkers instead of being kept in solitary confinement.