Editor's Pick | Eight Indians held in Qatar get 60 days to contest their jail terms

The death penalty of eight former Indian Navy officials, who had been in the custody of Qatari authorities since August 2022, has been commuted to “varying quantum” of jail terms, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the legal team had been given 60 days to appeal against the jail terms. “On December 28, the Court of Appeal in Qatar gave a verdict in which the death sentence was commuted and replaced with varying quantum of jail terms. Our legal team has received a copy of the court’s order, which is a confidential document. But I can confirm that the death sentence has been removed,” Mr. Jaiswal said. “As far as the next step is concerned, 60 days are there when the matter can come up for appeal in the Court of Cassation which is the highest court of Qatar,” he added. The eight men — Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh — were employed by the Al Dahra company in Doha and were allegedly accused of breaching sensitive secrets at the time of their arrest. Although both India and Qatar have been secretive about the charges due to their sensitive nature, the former navy personnel were reportedly involved in training various security-related service providers for Qatar, and the company was also involved in producing high-tech Italian-origin submarines that are known for stealth capabilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first public outreach to the Qatari leadership when he met Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of COP28 on December 1 is believed to be significant towards the latest development in the high-profile case. In a social media post, Mr. Modi had said that he had discussed the “well-being of the Indian community in Qatar” with the Emir. Editorials Shielding SEBI: On Supreme Court’s ruling and SEBI probe Terror in Iran: On the blasts in Iran’s Kerman and the impact The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Two bombs in quick succession struck a crown on Wednesday at a memorial event. Where did the blasts take place? Israel Iran Pakistan Afghanistan To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 05 January 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Eight Indians held in Qatar get 60 days to contest their jail terms The [death penalty of eight former Indian Navy officials]( who had been in the custody of Qatari authorities since August 2022, has been commuted to “varying quantum” of jail terms, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the legal team had been given 60 days to appeal against the jail terms. “On December 28, the Court of Appeal in Qatar gave a verdict in which the death sentence was commuted and replaced with varying quantum of jail terms. Our legal team has received a copy of the court’s order, which is a confidential document. But I can confirm that the death sentence has been removed,” Mr. Jaiswal said. “As far as the next step is concerned, 60 days are there when the matter can come up for appeal in the Court of Cassation which is the highest court of Qatar,” he added. The eight men — Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh — were employed by the Al Dahra company in Doha and were allegedly accused of breaching sensitive secrets at the time of their arrest. Although both India and Qatar have been secretive about the charges due to their sensitive nature, the former navy personnel were reportedly involved in training various security-related service providers for Qatar, and the company was also involved in producing high-tech Italian-origin submarines that are known for stealth capabilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s [first public outreach to the Qatari leadership]( when he met Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of COP28 on December 1 is believed to be significant towards the latest development in the [high-profile case]( In a social media post, Mr. Modi had said that he had discussed the “well-being of the Indian community in Qatar” with the Emir. Editorials [Arrow][Shielding SEBI: On Supreme Court’s ruling and SEBI probe]( [Arrow][Terror in Iran: On the blasts in Iran’s Kerman and the impactÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Two bombs in quick succession struck a crown on Wednesday at a memorial event. 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