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Qatar court gives former Indian Navy men 60 days to appeal against prison terms
A Qatari court has given 60 days to eight former Indian Navy personnel to appeal against their prison terms, following the commutation of their death sentences. The men were detained in August 2022 on undeclared charges. The court initially delivered the judgment as an oral order, and the legal team aiding the men has received a copy of the verdict. The next step will be decided by the legal team, and the Indian side is in touch with the families of the men to decide the next steps.
New Delhi: A Qatari court has given 60 days to eight former Indian Navy personnel to appeal against varying prison terms given to them following commutation of their death sentences, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.
On December 28, Qatar’s Court of Appeal commuted the death sentences awarded last October and sentenced the eight men to prison for varying durations ranging from three years to 25 years. The men – Captains Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vasisht, Commanders Purnendu Tiwari, Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma and Sugunakar Pakala, and sailor Ragesh – were detained in August 2022 on undeclared charges.
The Court of Appeal initially delivered the judgement as an oral order, and external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing that the legal team aiding the eight men had received a copy of the verdict but it was a “confidential document”.
“On December 28, the Court of Appeal had given a judgement. Thereafter, we issued a press release giving details [and] telling that the death penalty has been reduced. Now, we have the judgement order, which is a confidential document,” he said in response to questions.
“The court has given 60 days for the appeal to be made before the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court in Qatar. And it is for the legal team now to decide the next course of action. So, that’s where we are.”
The legal team has access to the court’s order. “What we can confirm to you is that the death penalty has now been converted into varying prison sentences for the eight Indian nationals,” he added.
The Indian side is in touch with the families of the eight men and the legal team to decide the next steps, Jaiswal said.
People familiar with the matter have said on condition of anonymity that Tiwari was given a 25-year prison term while Ragesh was given a three-year sentence. Four of the former navy officers were given 15-year prison terms and two others 10-year prison terms, they said.
Several reports have suggested the men were accused of espionage though both Qatari and Indian authorities have not provided details of the charges against them.
Also Read: Relief as Qatar takes 8 Indians off death row
The commutation of the death sentence makes it possible for India to invoke a 2015 agreement with Qatar on the transfer of sentenced persons. The pact allows citizens of both countries who have been convicted and sentenced for criminal offences to serve their prison terms in their home country. The agreement isn’t applicable to persons sentenced to death.
However, the people cited above said there is some lack of clarity on whether Qatar has ratified the agreement.
The Indian side is also understood to be exploring the possibility of the prisoners being pardoned by the emir of Qatar, who usually issues such pardons during the Eid festivals.
India had earlier expressed “deep shock” at the death sentence given by Qatar’s Court of First Instance and pledged to look at all legal options to help the eight men, including decorated officers who commanded frontline warships in the Indian Navy.
The matter was subsequently taken to Qatar’s Court of Appeal. After this, an appeal can be filed in the Court of Cassation, which is responsible for deciding on appeals against judgments of the Court of Appeal.
