A Qatar court has accepted India’s appeal against the death sentence awarded to eight former Indian Navy personnel in an alleged case of espionage.  The appeal was reportedly accepted on Thursday and it was learnt the Qatari court will set a hearing date after examining the appeal.  The death sentence was given last month.

The eight men were identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh — all former Indian Navy personnel, employed by Dahra Global.

India on November 16 had said the appeal process against the death sentence was under process and it was hopeful of a positive outcome from it.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had then said India is engaged with the Qatari authorities on the matter and that the Government would continue to extend all legal and consular assistance to the Indian nationals. “The case is currently in a legal process there. As we mentioned, an appeal has been filed in Qatar’s Court of Appeal. We are also engaged with the Qatari authorities on the matter and we will continue to extend all legal and consular assistance (to them),” Bagchi said. “I would again urge everyone not to engage in speculation considering the sensitive nature of the case,” he said.

The judgment in the entire process has been made confidential by the Qatari side. “The appeal process is underway and we would hope for a positive outcome,” Bagchi said, replying to a question on the matter at his weekly media briefing. He also described as “factually incorrect” some reports that suggested the appeal in the case has been adjudicated.

The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public.

All of the former Navy officers had “unblemished stints” of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy and had held important positions including that of instructors in the force, former military officials had said.

In May Al-Dhara Global closed its operations in Doha and all those working there (primarily Indians) have since returned home. In the past, the Navy had taken up the case of the former naval personnel with top brass of the government for securing their release.

The eight men were arrested in August 2022 by Qatar’s intelligence agency for allegedly spying. However, the Qatari authorities have not made the charges against them public yet. Their bail petitions were rejected several times and the verdict against them was pronounced last month by the Court of First Instance in Qatar.

The Ministry of External Affairs has urged everyone to refrain from “engaging in speculation” due to the sensitive nature of the case.

All of the former Navy officers have a distinguished service record of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy and have held important positions, including that of instructors in the force.

Meetu Bhargava, the sister of one of the former officers detained, had sought help from the government to bring her brother back. In a post on X on June 8, she had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.

“These Ex-Navy officers are the pride of the nation & again I request our Hon’ble Prime Minister with folded hands that it is high time that they all be brought back to India immediately without any further delay,” read her post.