The International Court of Justice will announce its verdict regarding Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence on Thursday, May 18, at 3.30 pm IST. On Monday, May 15, the Hague had heard India and Pakistan’s arguments on the death sentence given to the former Navy officer.
The court had said it would pronounce its verdict “as soon as possible”. However, it is unclear whether the court’s verdict is binding since there have been instances where countries have nullified or violated its judgments.
India, represented by senior lawyers including Harish Salve, had asked that the sentence be suspended immediately. Pakistan argued that Jadhav was an Indian spy, and had claimed they had found a passport on him under a fake name.
Jadhav had been sentenced in April, after which India had firmly lodged its protest and taken the matter to the United Nations court. India had also alleged that Pakistan repeated denied consular access to Jadhav, and that he had not been represented fairly. Pakistan has denied all the allegations.
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