Qatari court accepts appeals against death sentence handed down to 8 Indian Navy veterans

The eight Indians, who worked for a private firm that carried out projects with the armed forces of Qatar, are accused of leaking classified information to unauthorised parties.

Flag of Qatar | Representative image | Pixabay

New Delhi: A Qatari court has reportedly accepted the appeals made by the eight Indian Navy veterans against the death sentence handed down to them Thursday in a case of suspected sharing of sensitive information with unauthorised people. On 26 October, the Court of First Instance of Qatar had handed down a death sentence to the eight veterans.

The eight — seven retired officers and a sailor — worked for a private firm, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a company owned by an Omani national. The Omani national was arrested last year in the same case, but was eventually let off. The firm carried out projects with the armed forces of Qatar.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed earlier this month that appeals have been filed in the case and that another consular access was granted to the ministry earlier this month. On 26 October, the MEA confirmed in a statement that it is providing full consular and legal assistance to the veterans.

“The court of first instance of Qatar passed a judgment on 26 October in the case involving eight 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,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said on 9 November during a weekly media briefing.

He added: “On 7 November, 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.”

Qatar hosts about 7 lakh Indians, who reportedly form the largest expatriate community in the nation

The legal route 

After a court of first instance passes a death sentence, the next step in the process is an appeal to the Qatari Court of Appeals.

If the appeal falls through at this stage, 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 from the Court of Appeals.

If the appeal fails, the fate of the eight India will rest with the Emir of Qatar. The Emir has the authority to pardon any prisoner or commute a sentence.

However, the Emir only issues a pardon on special occasions, such as Eid and Qatar’s national day, which is on 18 December.

(Edited by Richa Mishra)