Eight Indians lodged in Qatar jail have got a big relief.
His death sentence has been stayed.
This information has been given by the Ministry of External Affairs on the decision in the Dahra Global case in Qatar.
A Qatari court on Thursday commuted the death sentences awarded to eight former Indian Navy personnel earlier this year and sentenced them to varying terms of prison, people familiar with the matter said.
The decision by Qatar’s appeals court came while hearing an appeal by the families of eight people who were detained on undisclosed charges in August 2022.
Reports suggest he was charged with espionage, although Qatari and Indian officials have not provided details of the charges against him.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a brief statement that Qatar’s appeal court had “reduced” the sentence given to eight people – Captain Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma and Sugunakar Pakala sailor Ragesh. Have given. – but no details were given. “A detailed decision is awaited,” the statement said.
The Foreign Ministry has said, “We have taken note of today’s decision of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced.
A detailed decision is still awaited. Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present at the Court of Appeal today along with members of the victim’s family.
We have stood by them since the beginning of the case and will continue to provide all consular and legal assistance. “We will continue to raise this matter with Qatari authorities.”
“Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the proceedings in this matter, it would not be appropriate to make any further comments at this time,” the External Affairs Ministry statement said.
A person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was all part of a process and that it would continue. The Indian side will work with the legal team to explore options, including further appeals against the prison sentences handed down to the men.
Eight people, including respected officers who commanded frontline warships in the Indian Navy, were sentenced to death by a Qatari first instance court on October 26 this year after being detained for more than a year.
At the time, the Foreign Ministry expressed “deep shock” at the decision and promised to consider all legal options to help the former marines.
Qatar’s appeals court held three hearings on 23 November, 30 November and 7 December. The Indian Ambassador was granted consular access to meet the eight people on 3 December.
Earlier, the families of the eight Indians jailed in Qatar had petitioned the Emir of Qatar to pardon them. The Emir usually pardons prisoners on December 18, Qatar’s National Day, and during the Eid festivals.
The eight Indians who were sentenced to death by the Qatar court all worked in a company called ‘Al-Zahira Al-Alami Consultancy and Services’.
All of them have been officers of the Indian Navy. They were accused of spying. Media reports say that these eight Indians will now be given life imprisonment instead of death sentence. However, the court’s decision is still awaited as to how many days his sentence has been reduced to jail.
All these former Navy officers are in jail in Qatar since August last year. Qatar has not yet given information about the allegations against them.
These 8 former marines also include Commander Purnandu Tiwari (R), who was awarded the President’s Award. In 2019, he was honored with the Pravasi Bharatiya Award by the then President Ramnath Kovind.