The International Court of Justice on Thursday effectively stayed the execution of former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death in Pakistan on espionage charges.
The Court said that India should have been granted consular access to its national Kulbhushan Jadhav as per the Vienna Convention.
The ICJ asserted its jurisdiction over the case of Mr. Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by Pakistan on charges of espionage and subversive activities.
The circumstances of Mr. Jadhav’s arrest remain disputed, ICJ president Ronny Abraham said while reading out his verdict.
The 11-judge bench of the U.N.’s highest court presented its verdict two days after India and Pakistan gave their submissions.
The Court president Ronny Abraham said the Court unanimously ordered Pakistan to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Mr. Jadhav is not executed.”
The 150-day period for clemency given by Pakistan which ends in August suggests that the execution can happen immediately thereafter, Justice Abraham said. “The decision to stay Kulbhushan Jadhav’s execution pending ICJ hearing is unanimous.”
