New Delhi:In a significant development, a court in Qatar has accepted India’s appeal against the death penalty imposed on eight former Indian Navy personnel. These navy veterans were sentenced last month on charges of espionage, with the court agreeing to set a hearing date after reviewing the appeal.
The eight individuals were apprehended in August 2022 by Qatar’s intelligence agency for alleged spying. Although the charges against them have not been made public by Qatari authorities, their bail petitions were repeatedly rejected, leading to the pronouncement of the death penalty last month by the Court of First Instance in Qatar.
Indian authorities, having obtained consular access, have been actively engaged in efforts to secure the release of these former Navy officers. Among those detained are Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. These individuals boast a distinguished service record of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy, having held crucial positions, including instructors within the force.
Meetu Bhargava, sister of one of the detained officers, had previously appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for intervention, emphasizing the need to bring these “pride of the nation” individuals back to India promptly.
The acceptance of India’s appeal marks a positive turn in this diplomatic matter, and further developments are awaited after the scheduled hearing in Qatar.
