Kulbhushan Jadhav case: ICJ decides July 17 on India appeal against Pak death sentence

The Hague: Nearly five months after India urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague to annul the death sentence handed by a Pakistani military court to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, and order his immediate release, the court will deliver its judgment on July 17.

“A public sitting will take place at 3 pm (6.30 pm IST) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, President of the Court, will read the Court’s decision,” a statement by the ICJ, which is the UN’s principal judicial organ, said Thursday.

India is likely to send its legal and official team, comprising lawyer Harish Salve and Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran), Deepak Mittal, to the Netherlands for the judgment.

Pakistan claims to have arrested Jadhav, a retired Navy officer, within its borders on March 3, 2016. India was informed of the arrest on March 25, 2016, when the Pakistan Foreign Secretary raised the matter with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. On that day, India sought consular access to Jadhav at the earliest.