- The International Court of Justice(ICJ) has ruled in favour of India in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.It has asked Pakistan to review his conviction and sentencing and also grant consular access to India.
- The ICJ has found that the treatment of kulbhushan Jadhav by Pakistan was in contravention of the Vienna Convention.
- However,the ICJ has rejected India’s demands for Jadhav to be released.It said that Pakistan would have to decide how to review the trial and conviction of the Jadhav.
- Kulbhushan Jadhav,an Indian national was convicted of conducting ‘subversive activities’ for the Indian government in Pakistan and has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.However, India have denied all these charges and said that he was abducted from Iran.
- India had approached the ICJ on the grounds that Pakistan had breached Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by refusing consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.Further,India had got a stay order preventing Pakistan from executing former naval officer.
- The Vienna Convention of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. Article 36 of this treaty states that foreign nationals who are arrested should have the right to inform about their arrest at its consulate.
- The ICJ was established in 1945 at Hague,Netherlands.It is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.Its objective is to settle legal disputes submitted to it by (a)states (b) duly authorized international branches and (c) UN General Assembly.
