India’s envoy to Qatar met eight ex-Navy personnel – sentenced to death in October for reasons still not known – on Sunday, the government said this afternoon. External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Our Ambassador got consular access to meet all eight in prison on December 3.”

On India’s appeal against the death sentence, Mr Bagchi said, “There have been two hearings so far (these were held on November 23 and November 30). We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. This is a sensitive issue, but we will do whatever we can.”

The next hearing is expected soon, NDTV has learned.

The Ambassador’s meeting with the sailors has been seen as a positive step – one that addresses concerns over consular access to the eight naval personnel, which seems now to have improved.

Also seen as a positive step is that there have been two hearings since India filed its appeal.

#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi says, “You would have seen Prime Minister Modi meet Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, the Amir of Qatar in Dubai on the sidelines of CoP28. They’ve had a good conversation on the overall bilateral relationship as well as in the well-being of the… pic.twitter.com/PfcBKtKvnm

— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2023

News of the meeting with the eight sailors – arrested in August last year by that country’s intelligence agency, allegedly for spying – is being linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the Qatar ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the side-lines of CoP28 summit in Dubai.

READ | Qatar Accepts India’s Appeal Against Death Penalty To 8 Navy Veterans

“You would have seen (that) Prime Minister Modi meet Sheikh Tamim nin Hamad, the Emir of Qatar in Dubai on the side-lines of (the) CoP28 (summit). They had a good conversation on the overall bilateral relationship as well as the well-being of the Indian community…” Mr Bagchi said.

The specifics of the PM’s brief meeting with the Emir have not been made public, but it does appear the Prime Minister has now taken up this matter with the Qatari ruler directly.

READ | Qatar Sentences 8 Indian Navy Veterans To Death: A Timeline Of The Case

On November 24 a Qatari court had accepted India’s formal appeal against the death sentence, which the government said had left it “deeply shocked”.

READ | 8 Navy Veterans Get Death In Qatar, “Shocked” India To Contest Order

The arrested naval personnel are Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar.

The eight ex-Navy officers include decorated individuals who once commanded major Indian warships, and were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services when arrested.

Dahra is a private firm providing training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces.

Sources said some of the sailors were working on a sensitive project – stealth submarines based on Italian technology. Media reports have claimed they have been accused of spying for Israel.

Families of the eight spoke to NDTV and flatly denied the spying allegations.

READ | “Went To Build Qatar’s Security”: Families Of Indian Sailors On Death Row

They were “not engaged in espionage for Israel”, the families said. “They went to build the Qatari Navy and build that nation’s security. They could never spy. There are no proof of allegations…”

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Shah Rukh Khan recently encountered a troll on X criticising him and his upcoming film Dunki, directed by Rajkumar Hirani. SRK decided to respond, using a reference from another Hirani film to push back. 

“Normally I don’t answer amazingly intelligent people like you. But in your case, I am making an exception because I feel you need to be treated for constipation. Will tell my PR team to send you some golden medicines…hope you recover soon,” he wrote on X. The treatment was similar to one given out by Munna of Munna Bhai MBBS (directed by Hirani) to his haters.

This exchange occurred during one of Shah Rukh Khan’s #AskSRK sessions on the platform following the release of Dunki’s trailer. His response was well-received by fans. 

Speaking about the film, directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Taapsee Pannu, Boman Irani, Vicky Kaushal, and himself, SRK described it to a fan on X as a reflection of life. “Dunki is… very beautiful. A little like life itself,” the 57-year-old star shared.

The highly anticipated movie is set to hit theatres on December 21, 2023.

The BJP is still working on selecting the final names to be made chief ministers in the three states where the party won the recent assembly elections, sources said. The party will appoint observers for the three states tomorrow to finally choose the names, they said.

More than a handful names are said to be in the list of probables for the chief minister posts in the three states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP fought the elections without naming any chief ministerial candidate.

The observers are likely to oversee meetings of the newly elected MLAs in the three states, where they will pick their leaders. Many within the BJP see the massive mandate it has got in the three states as a strong statement of wider popular support for its policies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan remains a strong contender in Madhya Pradesh, following the party’s win with a two-thirds majority. Union ministers Prahlad Patel, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar are also being seen as among the probables.

In Chhattisgarh, former chief minister Raman Singh, state BJP president Arun Kumar Sao, leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik and former IAS officer OP Chaudhary are seen by political analysts as among the contenders. Except for Mr Singh, all the three leaders come from the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The BJP leadership has, however, often surprised observers with its chief ministerial picks in the past.

In Rajasthan, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje is seen as one of the contenders for the top post. Some 25 BJP MLA met her on Monday in what was seen as a show of support and strength. Though the MLAs termed it a courtesy meeting, they said they will support Ms Raje if the party leadership chooses her for the top post. Ms Raje along with her son Dushyant Singh met BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi this evening.