In a major reprieve on Thursday for eight former Navy personnel sentenced to death by a Qatar court, they will now face reduced punishment. It could involve serving a sentence in jail. However, details are awaited since the judgment has not been released.
The commutation of the death sentence by an appellate court in Qatar comes weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the CoP28 summit in Dubai. Details of the conversation were never made public, but there was speculation that this issue was raised. After the meeting on December 1, Modi said they discussed the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar.
The eight Indians were awarded the death penalty in October, reportedly on charges of espionage. The charges were not made public. The eight Indians are Purnendu Tiwari, Sugunakar Pakala, Amit Nagpal, and Sanjeev Gupta, who are Commanders, and Navtej Singh Gill, Birendra Kumar Verma, and Saurabh Vasisht, who are Captains. The eighth individual is Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar.
“We have noted the verdict today of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced. The detailed judgment is awaited,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Thursday.
“Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present at the Court of Appeal today, along with family members. We have stood by them since the beginning of the matter, and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with the Qatari authorities,” it added.
Noting that a detailed judgment was awaited, the ministry said it was in close touch with the legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps. “Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of proceedings in this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” the MEA said.
Some of the arrested individuals are highly decorated military personnel who once commanded Indian warships and were working for a private firm providing training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces.
All eight have been in jail since August last year and were handed death sentences on October 26, after a brief trial in March. Bail was denied numerous times during their incarceration and trial.
An appeal was immediately lodged, and last month, the Qatari court accepted that appeal. The eight were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services when arrested.
The Navy veterans were awarded death sentences on October 26, and India had then described the ruling as “deeply shocking” and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. In its reaction to the ruling by the Qatari court, the MEA last month said it is attaching “high importance” to this case. The charges were filed against the Indian nationals on March 25.
Meanwhile, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, earlier this month, said the government is putting all-out efforts to bring back all incarcerated ex-Navy personnel from Qatar. “We are working closely to ensure that their interests are looked after,” Admiral Kumar said at a media briefing.
Earlier this month, the MEA said two hearings had taken place in connection with the case. “There have been two hearings. We filed an appeal, with the families, and the detainees had a final appeal. Two hearings have since been held. One was on November 30th, and the other was on November 23rd. I think the next hearing is coming up soon,” MEA spokesperson Arindham Bagchi had said.
