A court has handed down the death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel in Qatar who have been detained for more than a year. The Indian government expressed shock over the verdict and vowed to explore all available legal assistance to secure the release of its citizens.Indias Ministry of External Affairs released a media release, which reads, We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgment in the case involving 8 Indian employees of Al Dahra company. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options.It added, We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities. Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture.(More to follow)
