A Qatari court docket has carried out two hearings on the attraction filed by households of eight former Indian Navy personnel in opposition to the demise sentence given to them and a 3rd listening to is predicted to be held quickly, exterior affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi mentioned on Thursday.

The eight males, together with embellished officers who commanded frontline warships within the Indian Navy, have been sentenced to demise by Qatar’s Court of First Instance on October 26 after being detained for greater than a yr on undeclared expenses. Reports have recommended the lads have been accused of espionage.

“As you know…the families and the detainees have filed an appeal. Two hearings have since been held. One, I think on November 30 and the other on November 23. I think the next hearing is coming up soon,” Bagchi mentioned in response to questions at a daily media briefing.

“We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. Meanwhile, our ambassador got consular access to meet all eight men in prison on December 3. We will continue to follow [the matter],” he mentioned.

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Bagchi skirted a query on whether or not the difficulty of the eight males had figured when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai. He mentioned the 2 leaders had a “good conversation on the overall relationship as well as the well-being of the Indian community” in Qatar.

The bail pleas of the eight ex-navy personnel have been rejected quite a few occasions and their detention was prolonged by Qatari authorities. People conversant in the matter mentioned the final bail pleas have been rejected on March 15 this yr. On March 25, expenses have been filed in opposition to them, and all have been knowledgeable that they have been being tried underneath the Qatari legislation.

For a very long time, the ex-navy personnel have been held in solitary confinement and never allowed to fulfill their households. Following the intervention of Indian authorities, officers from the Indian embassy in Qatar got consular entry to the lads and conferences and cellphone calls have been organized with their kinfolk.

Indian officers have been given consular entry to the lads at common intervals this yr, and the Indian ambassador has met them a number of occasions. They have been additionally moved to double-bed rooms within the jail ward.

The judgement given by Qatar’s Court of First Instance has been declared confidential and it has solely been shared with the authorized group of the eight males. The Indian aspect has repeatedly mentioned it’s engaged with Qatari authorities to discover a decision to the matter, although officers haven’t spelt out the specifics.

Very few particulars in regards to the case have been formally offered by the Indian and Qatari sides because the former Indian Navy personnel have been detained in August 2022. Soon after the Qatari court docket gave its verdict, the exterior affairs ministry expressed “deep shock” and pledged to take a look at all authorized choices to assist the previous naval personnel.

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The attraction was filed within the Court of Appeal. After this, an attraction could be filed within the Court of Cassation, the best court docket within the Qatari judicial system. The Court of Cassation is answerable for deciding on appeals filed in opposition to the judgments of the Court of Appeal.

The Indian aspect can also be taking a look at different choices to discover a decision to the matter. One possibility is understanding an association underneath an settlement signed by India and Qatar in 2015 for the switch of convicted prisoners in order that they will full their sentence of their house nation.

There can also be the potential of approaching the International Court of Justice or petitioning the emir of Qatar for a pardon. The households of the eight males have already filed such a mercy petition. Qatar’s ruler often points orders pardoning prisoners on the nation’s National Day on December 18 and the Eid festivals.

The eight males have been staff of a subsidiary of Oman-based Dahra Engineering & Security Services that offered coaching and different companies to Qatar’s armed forces and safety companies. The subsidiary was shut down in May this yr. They have been believed to have been overseeing the induction of Italian-made midget stealth submarines into the Qatari Navy.

The officers among the many eight males have been embellished with army and civilian honours, and a few have held prime positions within the Indian Navy. Commander (retired) Purnendu Tiwari, who’s among the many detained males, served as Al Dahra’s managing director and commanded a number of warships whereas serving with the navy.