On 9 November, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed that India an appeal had been filed against the death penalty imposed on eight former personnel of the Indian Navy in Qatar and provided a copy of the ruling from the Qatari court to the legal team. India has also been able to gain second consular access to the convicts. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated that the judgement sentencing the death penalty on the eight Indian nationals is confidential, and appealed to not make speculations over the issue.
Arindam Bagchi stated, “As we had informed earlier, the court of first instance of Qatar passed a judgment on October 26 in the case involving 8 Indian employees, the judgment is confidential and has only been shared with the legal team. They are now pursuing further legal steps. An appeal has already been filed. ”
He added, “We will also remain engaged with the Qatari authorities in this matter. On November 7, our embassy in Doha received another consular access to the detainees. We are in touch with their family members too. We will continue to extend all legal and consular support, and I would urge everyone not to engage in speculation considering the sensitive nature of the case.”
#WATCH Delhi: On death sentence to 8 Indians in Qatar, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi says, "As we had informed earlier, the court of first instance of Qatar passed a judgment on October 26 in the case involving 8 Indian employees, the judgment is confidential and has only been… pic.twitter.com/Xsbdk01vWf
— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2023
Indian authorities have communicated with the family members of the convicted Indians and Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar also met with their families. According to the EAM, the government is going to work closely with the families in this regard and accords the case with the “highest importance.”
On 26 October, the court sentenced the Indian citizens to death on unspecified charges. They were all employees of the Dahra Global company, situated in Doha, and were apprehended in August 2022 on charges of espionage. India expressed its disbelief at the verdict and used all available diplomatic avenues to reach out to Qatar about the matter.
A report revealed that the eight former officers were taken into custody when the Qatari authorities became suspicious of their amicable exchange with an Indian diplomat stationed in Doha in August of last year. They were suspected by the Qatari authorities of sharing “secret” information with the Indian diplomat. It read, “The ex-Navy men had interacted with a diplomat who they were acquainted with because of a previous professional relationship. It was purely friendly banter and nothing more. But it got the Qatar authorities suspicious.”
The arrested Indians were identified as 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. India was granted consular access to the eight Navy veterans in Qatar last year, two months after their incarceration.
“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options. We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities. Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” the ministry proclaimed in its initial response after the verdict.
