Deciding the fate, ICJ to announce verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case on July 17

New Delhi, July 5: The much awaited and most anticipated decision on the fate of Kulbhushan Jadhav has been slated to be decided on July 17 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav is on death row in Pakistan as the neighbouring country alleged him to be an India spy.

 

The Pakistani military court has sentenced Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, to death on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India had then approached the ICJ in May 2017 against Pakistan for denying consular access to Jadhav. India had also challenged the "farcical trial" by the military court of Pakistan against 48-year-old Jadhav. The ICJ on 18 May, 2017 had restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case.

The International Court of Justice, in a statement, said a public sitting will take place at 3 pm (6.30 pm IST) on 17 July at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, the President of the Court, will read out the verdict.

The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the UN charter in June 1945 and it began its activities in April 1946. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague.

The court held a four-day public hearing in the case in February 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. 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.