New Delhi: A week after the death sentences to ex-Indian Navy officials in Qatar were reduced to jail terms, the newly appointed Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson on Thursday said the legal documents pertaining to the former officers were shared with New Delhi and they have 60 days to decide the next course of action.
On December 28, a Court in Qatar commuted the death sentence handed down to the Indians in October and sentenced them to prison for varying durations, weeks after their family members filed an appeal against the earlier order by another court.
Addressing the weekly media briefing on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The matter is pending in the Qatari court. The issue is both sensitive and legal and therefore I would not share the detailed judgment."
"On the 28th of December, the Court of Appeals had given a judgment. We had already issued a press release wherein we had confirmed that the death penalty had been converted into life sentences. Now we have the confidential, legal document. The legal team has access to it," said the MEA spokesperson.
"We are in touch with the family members and with the legal team. The Court of Cassation, the highest court of appeal in Qatar, has given 60 days to the legal team to decide the next course of action," he added.
Earlier last week, the External Affairs Ministry issued a statement on the verdict in the Dahra Global case in Qatar and said, "We have noted the verdict of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced. The detailed judgment is awaited. We are in close touch with the legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps."
"Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with the family members. We have stood by them since the beginning of the matter and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with the Qatari authorities," it said. "Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture," the MEA said.
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