Treaty on transfer of sentenced persons between India and Qatar

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today approved thesigning of the treaty on transfer of sentenced persons between India and Qatar. 

The signing of the Treaty shall facilitate Indian prisoners imprisoned in Qatar or vice-versa to be near their families, for serving the remaining part of their sentence and shall facilitate their social rehabilitation. 

Prior to 2004, there was no domestic legislation under which foreign prisoners could be transferred to the country of their origin to serve the remaining part of their sentence, nor was there a provision for the transfer of prisoners of Indian origin convicted by a foreign court to serve their sentence in India. 

Hence the Repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003 was enacted for serving this purpose. For achieving the objectives of the Act, a Treaty/Agreement is required to be signed with countries having mutual interest with India and later to be notified in the Official Gazette. 

The Government of India has so far signed Agreements with the Governments of United Kingdom, Mauritius, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Bangladesh, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran., Kuwait, Sri Lanka, UAE, Maldives, Thailand, Turkey, Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Israel, Russia, Vietnam and Australia. Negotiations have also been concluded with the Governments of Canada, Hong Kong, Nigeria and Spain.