New Delhi: The former Indian Naval officers whose conviction has been reduced to jail terms in Qatar can serve their sentence in Indian prison due to an earlier agreement between New Delhi and Doha, senior advocate Adish Aggarwala said on Thursday. Aggarwala who is also the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association also thanked the Indian government for the continued support of the detained officers.
The Qatari Court on Thursday commuted the death penalty sentence of eight ex-Indian naval officers arrested last year in the Dahra Global case and commuted the sentence to jail terms. We thank the Modi government for providing all assistance to our eight former Navy personnel, who were awarded the death sentence and were earlier given the death penalty, the sentence has been reduced. They still have a right to appeal to the Court of Secession, which is the highest court of Qatar, Aggarwala said in a video statement.
He further said that the 2014 agreement between India and Qatar allows them to bring back prisoners imprisoned in each other's jail to serve the remaining sentence back home. Even if they don't get any relief, these Navy officers can be brought back to India as per the agreement between India and Qatar. There is an agreement of 2014, where the prisoners can be brought back from one country to another between these two countries to undergo these sentences announced by the foreign court, the senior advocate said.
He said, "So, the government of India can bring back the officers and they will be required to undergo sentence in Indian prison. I am certain the government will provide more assistance to them."
Former Navy Deputy Chief Vice-Admiral MS Pawar called this a matter of great relief and thanked the relentless efforts of the Indian Embassy in Qatar and the Ministry of External Affairs. It is a matter of great relief that the death sentence awarded to eight Navy veterans has been commuted by the Court of Appeals in Qatar...thanks to the relentless efforts of the families of the veterans and the rock-solid support provided to them by the Embassy in Qatar, the Ministry of External Affairs in India and at the highest political levels in the country, Pawar said in a video statement.
He also thanked the Qatari legal system and authorities for their benevolent approach adding that India should now try to bring back the Navy veterans. We still have miles to go before the innocents are brought back. I do not doubt their innocence and they are perhaps victims of circumstances. I do not doubt that they will never indulge in any unprofessional conduct that would bring disrepute and disgrace to the Navy and the nation, he further said.