Family members of Commodore Sugunakar Pakala, a native of Visakhapatnam who was awarded death sentence, along with seven other former Navy officers in Doha, Qatar, have approached BJP Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao here for assistance.
Following the request, Mr. Narasimha Rao spoke to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Indian Ambassador to Qatar Vipul.
The death sentence was delivered by a “Court of Primary Instance in Qatar” 14 months after the arrest of former Indian naval officers on unsubstantiated charges of espionage.
Revealing the details of the judgment and the further legal process, Mr. Narasimha Rao informed that the Court today read out a two line order and the full judgment would be available by Sunday.
“The judgment can then be appealed against in the Court of Appeal within 15 days. After the judgment by the Court of Appeal, there is the highest Court of Cassation in Qatar,” he said.
Based on his interactions, Mr. Rao, who is also a Member of the Consultative Committee for External Affairs, stated that the Government of India, and in particular the Ministry of External Affairs, would provide all necessary support to ensure justice for “our brave-hearts.”
