Qatar accepts India's appeal against death sentence to ex-Navy officers

On October 26, the eight personnel were given death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance

A Qatar court on Friday accepted the appeal filed by the Indian government against the death sentence given to eight former Indian Navy personnel last month.

On October 26, the eight personnel were given death sentences by Qatar's Court of First Instance. Following the verdict, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the ruling was "deeply" shocking and that it would explore all legal options.

Earlier this month, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Indian embassy in Doha received another consular access to the detained Indians. "As we have informed earlier, the Court of First Instance of Qatar passed a judgment on October 26 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 an appeal has been filed. We will also remain engaged with the Qatari authorities on this matter," he said.

The eight arrested Indian naval veterans are 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. In 2022, the authorities in Qatar detained eight retired Indian Navy soldiers working with a private company, Al Dahr, in an alleged case of espionage. 

The company was run by Khamis al-Ajmi, an Omani national who is a retired squadron leader of the Royal Oman Air Force. He was also arrested, along with the eight Indian Navy officers, but was later released in November 2022.

The first trial in the case was held on March 25, 2023, and they were tried under Qatari law. In October, consular access was granted, and the Indian Ambassador met the detainees. But the situation turned worse on October 26 after the local court pronounced the death sentences.

Former military officials said that all the eight personnel had "unblemished stints" of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy and held important positions, including that of instructors in the force.