A Delhi court today deferred to November 7 the hearing on the quantum of sentence for the five men convicted for killing TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008 on grounds that the pre-sentence report and other documents were yet to be filed.

On October 18, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Ravindra Kumar Pandey had convicted Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar under IPC section 302 (murder) and provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and listed the case for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence on Thursday.

Taking note of the fact that certain documents, including the pre-sentence report of the probationary officer, had to be filed mandatorily if the maximum sentence in the case is death penalty, the court adjourned the hearing to November 7.

Vishwanathan, who was working with an English news channel, was shot dead in the early hours of September 30, 2008, on south Delhi’s Nelson Mandela Marg while she was returning home from work. Police claimed the motive was robbery.

“List the matter for consideration of the report of the probation officer, consideration on the affidavits of the convicts, affidavit on behalf of the state and report from Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLA)… and for arguments on quantum of sentence on November 7 at 2 PM,” ASJ Pandey said.

He said though the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLA) had filed the victim impact report, the convicts had not filed their affidavits. Counsels for the convicts jointly submitted that they were unable to prepare the affidavits as they did not have the details and necessary direction could be issued to the jail superintendent and legal aid counsel, available with prison authorities, to assist the convicts in preparation of the affidavits.

The court said according to the guidelines of the Delhi High Court, in a case where there is a conviction for an offence punishable with the death penalty (as one of the alternate punishments), a pre-sentence report had to be obtained from the probation officer before the hearing on the quantum of sentence.

“Accordingly, the principal secretary, home department, Delhi government is hereby directed to assign to any probation officer the task of submitting the pre- sentencing report,” the court said.

It said the report had to specifically include the twin aspects of whether the convicts could commit further crimes and thus remain a “continuing threat to society” and whether there was any probability of the convicts being reformed and rehabilitated.

While detailing the inquiry procedure to be followed by the probation officer, the court said in the light of the fundamental right against self-incrimination, the convicts must be informed of their rights to be silent and in no circumstance can any adverse inference be drawn if the convicts refuse to give an interview to the probation officer.

“The probation officer shall submit the report within one week from today,” the court said adding, “The principal secretary, home department, will appoint a probation officer immediately on the receipt of the order of this court keeping in view the fact that case is more than 15 years old.”

The court also asked the Secretary of DLSA to depute one legal aid counsel, who would visit the prison for the preparation of affidavits of the convicts within 24 hours of the receipt of the order.
 

It looks like any other scrappy Tel Aviv tech start-up, with staff in hip clothing huddled around laptops and downing espressos, but they are the volunteers in a “war room” assembled to help Israel bring home the hostages.

Gunmen from the Hamas group seized more than 220 people — including Israelis, foreigners and dual-nationals — when they entered through Gaza’s border into Israel on October 7 and, according to Israeli officials, killed more than 1,400 people.

Within days, as Israel launched reprisal strikes that the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says have now killed more than 6,500 people, volunteers from Israel’s thriving tech sector teamed up to lend a hand in the hostage crisis.

“We are a civilian war room. Our main purpose is to save lives,” said Refael Franco, 48, the chief executive of Code Blue — a cyber crisis management firm leading the effort at Gitam BBDO communications group in Tel Aviv.

“We collect. We compare. We deliver,” Franco explained with a brand-ready slogan, as he pored over detailed, digital maps of Gaza dotted with colour-coded markers linked to specific information about the captives.

For years, Israel’s tech sector has emerged as a formative pillar underpinning the country’s economy, with cyber security firms in particular serving as a powerful driver of growth and innovation.

Seemingly overnight, volunteers from the sector began meeting at the Gitam group’s offices where they pooled their expertise with artificial intelligence and innovative platforms to assist in identifying the missing in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks.

In this makeshift response centre, volunteers have spent days combing through the deluge of social media posts across myriad platforms to gather information about the captives.

After amassing a database of images from social media in tandem with photos provided by families of the missing and kidnapped, the team then feeds the evidence into artificial intelligence software specialising in facial recognition.

With assistance from experts in geolocating, programmers, and Arabic speakers, the team has rapidly pieced together an emerging picture of who was abducted, when they were last seen and where.

The information is then shared with the Israeli military’s special unit overseeing the hostage crisis, with around 60 captives successfully identified by the team to date.

– Mobilisation –

The tech community’s reaction to the hostage crisis represents just a microcosm of the sweeping mobilisation happening across Israel, with the young and old volunteering en masse to support affected families, soldiers and a range of other response efforts after the October 7 attacks.

The hostage crisis has been particularly haunting.

Amid the trauma unleashed by the Hamas massacre, the hostage crisis remains an open wound, fuelling anxiety and uncertainty during what Israeli leaders say will be a long war with the Hamas group.

“People here left their jobs. There are CEOs and CTOs and founders of companies that put everything aside and just came here… to help,” said Ido Brosh, a 24-year-old volunteer programmer at Gitam BBDO with expertise in military intelligence.

“It’s horrible that this event made us so unified, but that’s also the beauty of this country. In times of crisis, we come together.”

But even as the tech community pools its resources to help with the hostage response, the agony for the families of those held captive remains excruciating.

For 82-year-old Holocaust survivor Tsili Wenkert, the abduction of her grandson, Omer Weknert, from a music festival in southern Israel near the border with Gaza has brought an unending torrent of pain.

“What I’ve been through in the past is small. I’m now living through a nightmare,” she told AFP.

“It’s very hard for a grandmother at my age to know her grandson is a captive.”

The 22-year-old was last seen in footage posted on a Hamas-linked Telegram channel, showing him stripped to his underwear and bound in the back of a truck filled with gunmen of the Hamas group, celebrating as they returned to Gaza.

– ‘Bring her back’ –

Just four hostages have been released to date, thanks in part to backchannel negotiations involving Egypt and Qatar.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was among those freed. Following her release this week, she told reporters from a wheelchair that she was led through a “spider web” of tunnels under Gaza, where she was held with other captives.

The presence of the hostages will likely complicate the widely anticipated ground offensive by the Israeli army following weeks of air strikes across the besieged Gaza Strip.

But even amid the exhaustion and trauma triggered by the October 7 attacks, the ongoing hostage crisis has stirred resolve in many.

For Omri Marcus, a creative director working on a campaign to battle misinformation at Gitam BBDO, the project is personal.

Marcus pointed to the wallpaper image on his laptop — a picture of his best friend’s cousin who is among the kidnapped. The photo, he said, serves as a constant reminder of the mission at hand.

“She’s now… in Gaza,” he said. “And we need to bring her back.”
 

Eight former Indian Navy officers, who have been sentenced to death in Qatar, have been accused of spying for Israel. The eight men were working for a private firm that helped the Qatari armed forces and included decorated officers who once commanded Indian warships.

In August 2022, the retired officers were arrested on charges of spying and were accused of espionage and state-sponsored terrorism. According to reports, the eight men were spying for Qatar on a secret naval project.

The convicted men are 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 Gopakumar. They worked for a private firm, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, which provided training and other services for Qatar’s armed forces.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said it was shocked by the verdict and would take up the issue with Qatari authorities. 

Award-Winning Commander

The men, who were arrested in Doha last year, have been 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. 

According to reports, the submarines were being built in collaboration with an Italian shipbuilding firm.

In 2019, Commander Purnendu Tiwari was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya 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. 

Commander Tiwari was the Managing Director of Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services and had commanded several warships when he was part of the Indian Navy.

‘Exploring All Options’

Bail petitions of the eight men had been rejected several times and the verdict against them was pronounced on Thursday by the Court of First Instance in Qatar.

Reacting to the verdict, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. 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,” it added.

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