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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka proposes to hike beer prices again; Second increase in four months
Bengaluru: Just days after raising diesel tax, power tariff, and milk prices, the Karnataka government has now proposed a hike in beer prices—the second time in four months.
The state government, in a draft notification, has proposed to increase the Additional Excise Duty (AED) on beer by 10 percent and this could lead to an increase in beer prices by up to Rs 50 per bottle, Deccan Herald quoted its sources as saying.
It has also decided to do away with a fixed Rs 130 excise duty for lower-end beers and going forward, 205 percent AED will apply to all beer brands.
“Beer prices in most of our neighbouring states are higher than ours. Hence, there was some potential to increase the revenue by increasing the prices,” DH quoted an official as saying.
However, the official noted that the government is unlikely to raise beer prices again in the near future, given the recent back-to-back hikes.
While the exact price hike will vary by brand, sellers believe it could lead to a drop in sales. According to a brewery owner from North Bengaluru, sales have already declined significantly due to the previous price hike. While beer sales are typically high during the summer, this year has seen a noticeable drop.
The excise department issued the draft notification on Tuesday, giving citizens seven days to file their objections.
_vb_85.jpeg)