NEW DELHI: A day after a Qatari court commuted the death sentence of eight former Indian Navy personnel, India said on Friday it will decide on possible next steps after studying the detailed verdict and discussing the matter with the legal team and the families of the men.

The eight men – Captains Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vasisht, Commanders Purnendu Tiwari, Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma and Sugunakar Pakala, and sailor Ragesh – had been sentenced to death by Qatar’s Court of First Instance on October 26 after being detained for more than a year on undeclared charges.

Qatar’s Court of Appeal commuted the death sentence and gave the men prison terms ranging from three years to 25 years on Thursday. External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a regular media briefing that possible options and next steps can be decided only after the detailed judgement is seen by the legal team.

Noting that the Qatari Court of Appeal had only given an oral order on Thursday and the detailed verdict is awaited, Bagchi said: “Till we have more details, I don’t want to comment. We will, of course, be discussing the next possible steps with the legal team and the family members.”

People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that Tiwari was given a 25-year prison term while Ragesh was given a three-year sentence. Four of the former Indian Navy officers were given 15-year prison terms and two others 10-year prison terms, they said.

Bagchi reiterated a statement issued by the external affairs ministry on Thursday, which said the sentences of the eight men had been reduced, and again emphasised the “confidential and sensitive nature” of the case. He added: “We would urge again not to engage in speculation. The interests of the Indians and their family members is our foremost concern.”

Responding to a question on whether India would invoke a 2015 agreement with Qatar on the transfer of sentenced prisoners, Bagchi said it wasn’t clear if the pact had been ratified by the Qatari side. “Yes, there is such an agreement. However, I’m not sure if it is in effect because it requires ratification by both sides. I would have to check whether the Qatari side has ratified that agreement.”

The agreement allows citizens of India and Qatar, who have been convicted and sentenced for criminal offences, to serve their prison terms in their home country. The pact – signed during a visit to India by the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in March 2015 – does not apply to persons facing the death penalty.

The people cited above said that while the Indian side has ratified the agreement, there is a lack of clarity as to whether the Qatari side has completed all procedures for ratification. However, Qatar’s cabinet endorsed the agreement in October 2015.

The eight men, including decorated officers who commanded frontline warships in the Indian Navy, were employees of a subsidiary of Oman-based Dahra Engineering & Security Services, which provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces. The subsidiary was shut down in May this year. Tiwari, who served as Al Dahra’s managing director, commanded several warships while serving in the navy.

Reports have suggested the men were charged with espionage.

However, neither the Indian side nor Qatari authorities made the charges public. Formal charges were filed against the men on March 25 and they were tried under Qatari law.