New Delhi: Appeals have been filed in the case of 8 Indian Navy veterans sentenced to death by a Qatari court on 26 October, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi confirmed Thursday.
“The court of first instance of Qatar passed a judgment on October 26 in the case involving 8 Indian employees of al-Dahra company. The judgment is confidential and has only been shared with the legal team. They are now pursuing further legal steps and I think an appeal has already been filed,” Bagchi said during the weekly MEA briefing.
“On November 7, our embassy in Doha received another consular access to the detainees. We are in touch with their family members too. As you recall, external affairs minister [S. Jaishankar] met the family members earlier this month in New Delhi,” Bagchi added.
The spokesperson discouraged “speculation considering the sensitive nature of the case”. The 8 Navy veterans were arrested in August 2022 based on suspicions that they shared unspecified information with unauthorised people, as reported by ThePrint earlier.
The veterans worked for a private firm — Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services — a company owned by an Omani national, who was arrested last year but eventually let off. The company carried out projects with the Qatari armed forces.
Legal route forward
The next stage of the legal process would be to appeal the judgment in Qatar’s Court of Appeals. If this falls through, the next step would be the Court of Cassation — the highest court in Qatar’s judicial system.
The Court of Cassation is responsible for deciding on appeals filed against judgments in the Court of Appeals. The MEA confirmed in a statement on 26 October that it was providing full consular and legal assistance to the veterans.
If the appeals fail, the eight incarcerated veterans — seven retired officers and a retired sailor — would need to approach the Emir of Qatar, who has the authority to pardon any prisoner or commute a sentence.
However, the Emir issues pardons only on special occasions — Eid and Qatar’s National Day on 18 December, as reported by ThePrint earlier.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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