Former Indian Navy personnel, initially sentenced to death in Qatar, have now been granted prison terms ranging from 3 to 25 years. The Ministry of External Affairs has revealed that the legal team has 60 days to appeal in the Court of Cassation, Qatar’s highest court.
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In a recent development, the appellate court in Qatar has commuted the death sentences of eight former Indian Navy personnel, assigning them prison terms ranging from 3 years to 25 years. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revealed on Thursday that the legal team representing the individuals now has a 60-day timeframe to file an appeal in the Court of Cassation, which stands as the highest court in Qatar.
MEA spokesperson Randeep Jaiswal stated, “The legal team has obtained a copy of the confidential court order. Additionally, they have a 60-day window to submit an appeal in the Court of Cassation, the highest court in Qatar. Our legal team is actively addressing this matter, coordinating with the affected families and legal representatives to determine the next steps.”
Responding to queries about when the 60-day period officially begins, Jaiswal commented, “I would assume it would start from December 28 or the day after… but it’s for the legal team there (in Qatar) to look into these aspects.”
While emphasizing that the case is still pending in the Qatari court, Jaiswal refrained from divulging detailed information due to the sensitivity and legal nature of the issue. He clarified that although the death penalty has been commuted, the eight men have been handed “varying prison sentences.”
On December 28, the MEA had previously announced the reduction of the death sentences, stating, “The detailed judgment is awaited. We are in close touch with the legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps… Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with the family members.”
The eight former Navy personnel—Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh—were employed by Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services in Doha, a defense services provider company.
Arrested in August 2022, the charges against them were never publicly disclosed by Qatari authorities. According to a report in the UK daily Financial Times, they were accused of spying for Israel. In October of the previous year, they were sentenced to death. India promptly filed an appeal against the death penalty, with six hearings conducted thus far—three in the court of appeal and three in the lower court.
