Qatar court admits India's appeal against death penalty to 8 ex-Navy personnel: Media reports
New Delhi, Nov 24: A Qatari court has admitted the Indian government's appeal against the death penalty handed down to eight former Indian Navy personnel in that country, according to media reports, even as there was no official word from the Ministry of External Affairs here on Friday.
The Qatari court on Thursday admitted the appeal filed by the Indian government and the next hearing is to be held soon, the reports said.
Last week, India said the appeal process against the death sentence given to the eight former Indian Navy personnel by a Qatari court is under process and it was hopeful of a positive outcome from it.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said India is engaged with the Qatari authorities on the matter and the government will continue to extend all legal and consular assistance to the Indian nationals.
The eight Indians were on October 26 given the death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case.
Days later, an appeal was filed against the death sentence.
The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage.
Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public.
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Newborn found dead in plastic bag: Kerala Child Rights Commission registers case
Kochi (PTI): The Kerala State Child Rights Commission registered a case on Friday into the incident where a newborn was found dead, covered in a plastic bag on the street of a posh residential area here.
After visiting the Panampilly Nagar locality where the incident occurred, K V Manoj Kumar, the chairperson of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, also directed the city police commissioner to file a detailed report on the incident.
Expressing concern over the incident, the Commission stated that if someone is unable to care for their children, abandoning or killing them should never be an option.
"There are various government systems in place to ensure their protection, such as Ammathottil or Children's Homes. These institutions provide a secure environment for children to grow up safely and thrive," Kumar said.
Ammathottil is an electronic cradle functioning under the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, aiming to provide better life conditions for destitute and abandoned children.
Earlier in the day, conservancy workers of Kochi Corporation found the body of the child along the street in Panampilly Nagar and alerted the police.
Launching an investigation, the police said that a 23-year-old woman was taken into custody after being traced using the address on the Amazon delivery packet in which the child was wrapped and thrown.
According to the police, the woman, suspected to be a victim of sexual assault, delivered a baby in the early hours of Friday in her apartment bathroom and allegedly threw the newborn on the street in front of her flat complex.
She had allegedly concealed her pregnancy from her parents.
