Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: International Court of Justice to Deliver Verdict on July 17

New Delhi, July 4: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will deliver its verdict in the case involving Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav on July 17. Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged espionage in April 2017 after which the Indian government moved to the world court. Following an initial hearing, the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till the case was adjudicated on.

In a statement, the ICJ on Thursday said a public sitting will take place at 3 pm (6.30 pm IST) on July 17 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, the President of the Court, will read out the verdict. Jadhav is a retired Indian Navy officer. Pakistan, however, claims that Jadhav is a "spy" and he was arrested from restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016, after he reportedly entered from Iran. India Sends Note Verbale to Pak, Seeks Repatriation of 10 Prisoners, Consular Access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.

India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. Pakistan had rejected India’s plea for consular access to Jadhav at the ICJ, claiming that New Delhi wants to get the information gathered by its “spy”. In February this year, both India and Pakistan submitted their detailed pleas and responses before the ICJ. Pakistan Asks ICJ to 'dismiss' India's Claim for Relief to Kulbhushan Jadhav.

India based its case on two broad issues — breach of Vienna Convention on consular access and the process of resolution. It also urged the ICJ to annul Jadhav’s death sentence and order his immediate release, saying the verdict by a Pakistani military court based on a “farcical trial” and it failed to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process.

Pakistan on its part claimed that it had a robust judicial system in its country and dismissed India's plea for repatriation of Jadhav as "devoid of legal merit". Pakistan had facilitated a meeting of Jadhav with his mother and wife in Islamabad on December 25, 2017.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2019 10:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).