Express News Service
NEW DELHI: In the third week of March, when individual charges were framed against the eight former Indian Navy veterans in Doha, all of them were made to sign some documents by the Qatari authorities. Details of these are not known yet.
The judicial trial based on Qatari law has begun and the first hearing has already taken place.
“There was uncertainty when the bail applications were being rejected continuously for months. However, there was hope of repatriation. But after the Qatari court announced individual charges against the veterans, the optimism was dampened,” said a source.
On March 29, the first hearing took place over the charges levelled against these veterans. The officials are in touch with their families, but are tight-lipped about the charges. The next hearing will come up during the course of this month. The company that the officials were working for — Dhara — is taking care of the judicial expenses.
ALSO READ | As eight Navy veterans languish in solitary confinement in Doha, new Ambassador to Qatar faces uphill task
Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh queried why despite India having good diplomatic relations with Qatar was not successful in repatriating the naval veterans.
“Friendly relations between two countries does not imply that people are above law. If there is a judicial process that needs to be followed – it will take its own course,” said the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi in response to what Jairam Ramesh said.
The naval officers had been working for Dhara Consultancies for several years. However, things took an uncertain turn when at midnight on August 20th 2022, Qatari interior ministry officials took them from their houses saying they had to go for a naval exercise, but none of them returned home and were instead kept under solitary confinement.
The naval officers will continue to remain in solitary confinement till the trials last. Families of these veterans back home will have to keep faith in the fairness of the trial and hope that their kin are repatriated.
NEW DELHI: In the third week of March, when individual charges were framed against the eight former Indian Navy veterans in Doha, all of them were made to sign some documents by the Qatari authorities. Details of these are not known yet.
The judicial trial based on Qatari law has begun and the first hearing has already taken place.
“There was uncertainty when the bail applications were being rejected continuously for months. However, there was hope of repatriation. But after the Qatari court announced individual charges against the veterans, the optimism was dampened,” said a source.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
On March 29, the first hearing took place over the charges levelled against these veterans. The officials are in touch with their families, but are tight-lipped about the charges. The next hearing will come up during the course of this month. The company that the officials were working for — Dhara — is taking care of the judicial expenses.
ALSO READ | As eight Navy veterans languish in solitary confinement in Doha, new Ambassador to Qatar faces uphill task
Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh queried why despite India having good diplomatic relations with Qatar was not successful in repatriating the naval veterans.
“Friendly relations between two countries does not imply that people are above law. If there is a judicial process that needs to be followed – it will take its own course,” said the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi in response to what Jairam Ramesh said.
The naval officers had been working for Dhara Consultancies for several years. However, things took an uncertain turn when at midnight on August 20th 2022, Qatari interior ministry officials took them from their houses saying they had to go for a naval exercise, but none of them returned home and were instead kept under solitary confinement.
The naval officers will continue to remain in solitary confinement till the trials last. Families of these veterans back home will have to keep faith in the fairness of the trial and hope that their kin are repatriated.
