On Thursday (23rd November), a Qatari court accepted the appeal document filed by India against the death penalty awarded to eight Indian sailors in Qatar. This court will now study it to announce its decision on the matter.
On 26th October, the Qatar court issued a death penalty verdict for a group of Indian nationals on espionage charges. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) conveyed its profound dismay regarding the decision and affirmed that the government was actively investigating various legal avenues in response to the verdict. A forthcoming court session in the case is anticipated, and there is a slim chance that the court may deliver a verdict during the proceedings.
On 23rd November, The Ministry of External Affairs said, “The judgment is confidential. There is a court of first instance that gave the judgment, which was shared with our legal team. Considering all legal options, an appeal has been filed. We are in touch with the Qatari authorities.”
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “India is engaged with the Qatari authorities on the matter and that the government will continue to extend all legal and consular assistance to the former Navy personnel.”
The Indian Navy veterans who were sentenced in Qatar include Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Sailor Rajesh Gopakumar. Each of the former Navy officers boasts an illustrious service history spanning up to 20 years in the Indian Navy, having occupied significant positions of responsibility.
It may be noted that since the eight former-Indian Navy officers were detained in August last year, their bail pleas have been rejected numerous times and their detention extended by Qatari authorities. The Qatari authorities had, however, until April this year, never specified the charges that had been pressed against them. Only recently did they confirm that the Indian Navy personnel, who were held in solitary confinement for long spells, have been charged with the offence of spying for Israel on the country’s advanced submarines.
One of the jailed officers, Commander Purnendu Tiwari (Retd), is the managing director of the firm that was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award in 2019. The award was handed over by none other than the then-President Ram Nath Kovind.
The eight Indians were working with the Qatari Emiri Navy, on behalf of the Qatar firm Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services which provided training and other technical assistance to them. The eight ex-Indian Navy officers were detained on August 30, 2022. The Qatari authorities reportedly accused them of spying for Israel on the country’s advanced submarines manufactured in Italy. These submarines are reportedly covered with metamaterials that enhance their stealth capabilities and make them harder to detect.
The Qatar State Security, the state intelligence agency, had claimed that it had intercepted electronic communications establishing that the naval officers were spying on the submarine programme. The agency had, however, not shared the information with India.
In April this year, reports emerged revealing that there is a possibility of the ex-Indian Navy officers being “framed” by Pakistani intelligence agencies. According to reports, the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI had persuaded the Qataris that there may have been Indian participation by citing the case of former Indian navy commander Kulbhushan Yadav, who was kidnapped from Iran and detained in Pakistan on suspicion of spying.
Ever since the officers were taken into custody by the Qatari authorities, the Indian embassy has been doing everything within its power to get them released. They have been facilitating regular visits to the family members and providing consular and legal assistance to the Navy personnel. In the same efforts, India filed an appeal document in the court of Qatar which is now accepted there for consideration. India has vowed to explore all available legal options to secure the release of its citizens.
