The defence team for the three Indian expatriates convicted in the murder of an elderly Qatari woman is expected to file an appeal by July 27.
This was revealed after a four-member team yesterday met two of the three convicts at the Central Prison.
The team included Doha-based legal activist Nizar Kocheri and S Suresh Kumar, a lawyer from Nagercoil in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu who arrived in Doha after being deputed by the South Asian Fishermen Fraternity.
Gulf Times reported yesterday that a Doha appeals court had upheld the death sentence awarded to two of the three accused by a trial court for the murder. The third defendant was given a life sentence.
The woman was murdered at her home towards the end of 2012 and the capital punishment was awarded on December 31, 2014. The Court of Appeals upheld the death sentence on May 30 this year.
Yesterday, accompanied by a staff member from the Indian embassy, Kocheri and Kumar held deliberations with Alagappa Subramaniam and Chinnadurai Perumal, who were awarded the death sentence. The lawyers met them separately and heard their version of the case.
They, however, could not meet Sivakumar Arasan, the third convict who was given a life term, as he was apparently taken out for a health check-up.
Speaking to Gulf Times after the meeting, Kochery and Kumar said they would move their appeal in the highest court by July 27. The local legal system mandates that an appeal in a case should be filed within two months of a judgment. “We went through the court papers and are exploring all possibilities,” said Kochery.
Kumar said he would press upon the Indian federal and Tamil Nadu governments to bear the financial expenses in the case. The lawyer is expected to return to India early today.