The Indian government has hopes of relief in the case of the death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel who have been detained in Qatar for over a year, top sources told CNN-News18 on Thursday.
The judgement is not confirmed, they said.
“This is a lower court judgement and needs confirmation from the constitutional bench,” said a top Indian government official.
The Indian nationals, all employees of Al Dahra company, were taken into custody in August last year in an alleged case of espionage. However, the charges against them were not made public by Qatari authorities.
“We are going for appeal in the case to the higher court and will place all evidence in support of the Indians,” said a government official. “We are hoping that this punishment will be mitigated. We are also going to request Qatari authorities through backchannels.”
All legal aid will be provided to these Indians, said the sources.
“The Indian mission is already doing its job and we are hopeful that Qatar will take a compassionate view in this case,” a government official said.