A Qatar court on Thursday agreed to review the case of eight former Indian Navy officers who were given the death penalty last month.

India has access to a copy of the judgment that was given out by the Court of First Instance in Qatar, which sentenced these eight former Indian Navy sailors to death. They have now exercised their right to appeal. The Indian government is not directly involved as far as the legal appeal goes, but they are supporting the families with consular access and with legal assistance as well.

The court is currently looking into the appeal filed by the Indian government, and the next hearing is expected soon, according to sources from CNBC-TV18. Once the appeal process in the Qatar courts is over, if it does not go in the favour of former Indian Navy men, then the only option available would be to seek a pardon from the Emir of Qatar.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier met the families of these sailors in New Delhi and had gone on to say that they would do everything they could to secure their release.

The Navy veterans had asked to be released on bail several times, but Qatari authorities rejected their pleas. Qatar's Court of First Instance officially announced the death penalty in October of this year.

These eight officers, who were employed by a company based in the Middle Eastern nation, were detained by Qatar in August 2022 on suspicion of working as spies for Israel.

(Edited by : Keshav Singh Chundawat)

First Published:Nov 24, 2023 5:34 PM IST