ICJ To Deliver Verdict in Kulbhushan Jadhav Case on 17 July
Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged espionage in April 2017.
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will deliver its verdict in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case on 17 July, according to media reports.
On 20 February, India had questioned the functioning of Pakistan's military courts and ICJ to annul Jadhav's death sentence, which is based on an “extracted confession”.
During the first round of the hearing, advocate Harsh Salve, who was representing India, had said that Jadhav’s trial by a Pakistani military court had “hopelessly failed” to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process and requested the ICJ to declare it “unlawful”.
Background of the Case
Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged espionage in April 2017, following which India moved the ICJ.
The world court held a four-day public hearing in the case in February 2019 during which both India and Pakistan submitted their detailed pleas and responses.
India based its case on two broad issues - breach of Vienna Convention on consular access and the process of resolution.
India also urged the ICJ to annul Jadhav's death sentence and order his immediate release, saying the verdict by a Pakistani military court was based on a "farcical case" and it failed to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process.
Pakistan on its part insisted that “Jadhav was not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities,” in Balochistan.
On 18 May 2017, a ten-member bench of the ICJ had restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till they could complete adjudication.
India denies all charges, with its officials stating that Jadhav was abducted from Iran and taken to Pakistan against his will.
(With inputs from IANS)
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