Qatar court reduced the death penalty given to 8 ex-Navy Personnel. They were found guilty based on an alleged espionage case. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed this information on Thursday. "We have noted the verdict today of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced,” the MEA stated.

Additionally, MEA stated that "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”.

Background of the Case

Authorities in Qatar detained all eight of the people in August 2022 without filing any accusations against them. Each of the accused persons worked for AI Dahra in Doha. They were purportedly accused of violating confidential information while they were employed in Qatar in 2022.

Each of them was employed by Consultant Services and Dahra Global Technologies.

Because of that, they were all engaged in a project to construct small, stealth submarines for the Qatar Navy, this company has been associated with the production of sophisticated Italian-origin submarines that are renowned for their stealth characteristics.

The managing director of the company was Commander Purnendu Tiwari (retd) and he received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2019 for his services to develop the bilateral relationship between India and Qatar.

They were charged with spying in Qatar on behalf of Israel. Earlier the specific charges have not been made public by Qatar authorities.

The Indian government was given consular access in October 2023 and has since been attempting to secure the lives of eight former Indian Navy personnel.

After learning of the news, the Ministry of External Affairs was likewise deeply startled by the death penalty decision. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has reiterated its commitment to providing consular and legal help to imprisoned individuals and conveyed how seriously it takes this issue.

However, there have been two trials in March and June of 2023.

The officers’ Names are:

1. Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, 
2. Commander Sugunakar Pakala, 
3. Captain Navtej Singh Gill, 
4. Captain Saurabh Vashisht,
5. Commander Purenendu Tiwari, 
6. Commander Sanjeev Gupta, 
7. Commander Amit Nagpal 
8. Sailor Ragesh.

Relationship  between India and Qatar

• Political Relationship:- In 1973, India and Qatar established diplomatic relations. Both countries are good in political stability. Both are skilled in diplomatic relations. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, visited India in 2015, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Qatar in 2016. Qatar has a consulate in Mumbai and an embassy in New Delhi, while India has an embassy in Doha. There are 0.74 million Indian expats living in Qatar.

• Economic relationship:- Both nations are making economic investments in different sectors. $5 billion was invested by Qatar in the Indian energy sector in 2008 as seen in the agreement of this contract. Both nations also decided upon the construction of a deepwater gas pipeline from Qatar to India. Second, it was decided that petrol would be sold for as little as $6–7 per unit instead of up to $12–13 per unit in Qatar.

• Strategic Cooperation:- Defence cooperation plays a vital role in establishing the relationship between two countries. Both the countries, India and Qatar signed a defence cooperation agreement in November 2008. The two fleets are engaged in a bilateral maritime exercise called Exercise Zair-Al-Bahr. It seeks to improve marine security in the area and fortify bilateral maritime ties between the two nations. India also helps Qatar in its defence slots for training. Indian Navy and Coast Guard also visit Qatar to participate in bilateral cooperation.

Conclusion

The MEA of India was surprised to learn that eight former Indian Navy personnel had been found guilty of capital punishment. This could lead to changes in the two countries' bilateral relations, between Qatar and India. It might have an impact on their strategy, politics, and economy. Nonetheless, a court in Qatar commuted the death punishment for eight former Navy personnel.