The government is working nonstop to repatriate eight former naval personnel from Qatar who were given the death penalty by a Qatari court, according to Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Friday.
“We are working closely to ensure that their interests are looked after,” Admiral Kumar said at a media briefing.
“The government of India is putting all-out efforts to ensure they are brought back,” he said.
The Indian nationals were on October 26 given death sentence by Qatar’s Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as “deeply” shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case.
A higher court in Qatar has already accepted the plea, and an appeal against the death penalty has already been filed.
The legal team representing the detained Indian nationals has filed the appeal.
The Indian nationals were detained in August of last year on suspicion of espionage; they were employed by the private company Al Dahra.
The accusations against the Indian nationals were kept a secret by both New Delhi and the Qatari authorities.