The International Court of Justice will, on July 17, pronounce its verdict on India’s appeal on Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on death row in Pakistan.

“A public sitting will take place at 3 p.m. at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, President of the Court, will read the Court’s decision,” the ICJ, or the UN Court announced on Thursday.

India had approached the World Court to direct Pakistan to revoke the death sentence awarded to Kulbhushan Jadhav on allegations of espionage. India has argued that Islamabad had breached the Vienna Convention on consular access and the process of resolution and stressed that the death penalty ruling delivered by a Pakistani military court was based on a farcical case.

A Pakistani military court sentenced Jadhav, in a closed hearing, to death in April 2017 on charges of spying and terrorism.

Pakistan claimed that Jadhav was arrested from its restive province Baluchistan in March 2016. India, on the other hand, alleges that the former Navy officer had gone to Iran on a business trip when he was kidnapped.

The last hearing coincided with a sharp spike in tensions after the Pulwama suicide bombing in Kashmir.

Following his conviction, India moved the ICJ seeking a stay on the death sentence awarded to Jadhav by the military court of Pakistan. In May 2017, the ICJ ordered stay on execution of the death sentence till final adjudication of the case at the UN top court.

First Published: Jul 04, 2019 21:04 IST