A local court in Qatar has sentenced eight former Indian Navy personnel to death allegedly on charges of espionage. India on Thursday said it is “deeply shocked” and is exploring all legal options in the case. The eight personnel have been held in a Qatari jail since August 2022, and charges against them have reportedly not been made public by the authorities in Qatar.

“We have received initial information that the Court of First Instance in Qatar has today issued a judgment in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra company,” said the External Affairs Ministry on Thursday in a statement.

“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of 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. 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,” said the External Affairs Ministry.

The men, including decorated officers who once commanded major Indian warships, were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm that provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces. Some of them were working on a highly sensitive project — Italian technology-based midget submarines with stealth characteristics, sources said.

The company was owned by an Omani national, a retired squadron leader of the Royal Omani Air Force. He too was arrested along with the eight Indians, but was released in November, it was learnt.

The Indians’ bail pleas were rejected numerous times and their detention extended by Qatari authorities. On Thursday, the Court of First Instance of Qatar passed a judgment.

India’s Ambassador to Qatar met the men in prison on October 1 after being granted consular access. The seventh hearing in the case took place on October 3, sources said. The trial started in March.

Commander (retired) Purnendu Tiwari, who is among the detained Indians, served as Al Dahra’s managing director and commanded several warships while serving with the Indian Navy.

The sentenced people include Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh. They were detained in Doha.

It was also learnt that an Indian journalist and his spouse were recently asked by Qatari authorities to leave the country for reporting the case. The Indian nationals had their first trial in late March. Meetu Bhargava, the sister of one of the officers, had sought help from the Indian government to bring her brother back.

In a post on X on June 8, Bhargava had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.

“These former Navy officers are the pride of the nation, and again I request our Hon’ble Prime Minister with folded hands that it is high time that they all are brought back to India immediately without any further delay pl. @narendramodi @AmitShah @rajnathsingh @MOS_MEA,” she had posted on X.

According to media reports, the former Navy officials faced allegations of espionage related to a submarine programme on Israel’s behalf. Qatari authorities claimed that they hold electronic evidence pertaining to the matter. The men were reportedly accused of spying on Qatar’s advanced submarines for Israel.

These submarines were coated with special materials that enhanced their stealth capabilities, something that would be valuable for any navy in the world, source said.

According to reports, the submarines were being built in collaboration with an Italian shipbuilding firm. In 2019, Commander Purnendu Tiwari was awarded the Pravasi Bharaitya Samman, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. In a post at the time, the Indian Embassy in Doha had said the award was given to Commander Tiwari for enhancing India’s image abroad.

“The award is in recognition of his contribution towards capacity building for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, thereby promoting India-Qatar bilateral cooperation. He is the first Indian Armed Forces personnel to be awarded this highest honour meant for NRIs / PIOs,” the embassy had said.

The first hearing in their trial was held on March 29. Family sources said they had not been informed of the formal charges under which the trial is being held, either by Qatari authorities or by Indian officials who have had consular access with the prisoners.

The men were picked up by the State Security Bureau, the Qatari intelligence agency, on the night of August 30 last year. The Indian Embassy first learnt about the arrests in mid-September.

On September 30, the men were allowed “brief telephonic contact” with family members. The first consular access — a visit by an official of the Indian embassy — was granted on October 3, more than a month after they were taken into custody. Since then, they have been allowed weekly phone calls to family members.