The government is working hard to save eight former naval personnel sentenced to death by a Qatari court, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on Friday.
“There is total support and effort being put in by the government,” he said.
The Navy veterans were sentenced to death on October 26 by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options.
An appeal has already been filed against the death sentence and a higher court in Qatar has admitted the plea.
Exploring options
"The former navy officers in Qatar are veterans.... And we are interested in ensuring their welfare. I want to reassure you that the Indian government is working all-out to ensure that they are brought back," Mr. Kumar said at a media briefing.
The Indian nationals, who were working for a private company, Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year allegedly for espionage.
Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges public.
Reacting to the ruling by the Qatari court, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said last month that it attaches "high importance" to the case and is exploring all legal options.
The charges were filed against the eight Indian Navy veterans on March 25 and they were tried under Qatari law.
All the former officers had "unblemished stints" of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy and held important positions, including that of instructors in the force, former military officials said.
In May, Al-Dahra Global closed its operations in Doha and all those working there (primarily Indians) have since returned home.
The Navy has previously pursued their case with the government.
