New Delhi: The legal team of the eight Indian Navy veterans have filed an appeal against the death sentence handed to them by a Qatari court, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.The former Indian navy officers had been contracted through a private firm to provide training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces. They had been detained since August 2022, with media reports claiming that they were accused and found guilty of espionage.The Qatari Court of First Instance handed the death sentence to the eight Indian nationals on October 26, which the Indian government described as “extremely shocking”.At the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the copy of the “judgment is confidential and has only been shared with the legal team”.“They are now pursuing further legal steps, and an appeal has been filed,” he stated, adding, “We will also remain engaged with the Qatari authorities on this matter”.He also informed that the Indian embassy was granted consular access to them on November 7. “We are in touch with the family members too, and [external affairs minister S. Jaishankar] met them earlier this month in New Delhi. We will continue to extend all legal and consular assistance. I would urge everyone not to engage in speculation considering the sensitive nature of the case,” said Bagchi.The family members of the Indian veterans had met with Jaishankar recently, who promised to give all possible support. The principal opposition party Congress had called on the government to “use its diplomatic and political leverage with the Qatar government to the maximum”.