Which counsel represented India at The International Court of Justice at The Hague, against Pakistan's decision of awarding the death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b) Harish Salve

• Harish Salve, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India, represented India at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in the high-profile case involving Kulbhushan Jadhav.

• He successfully argued that Pakistan violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by denying India consular access to Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in 2017.

Information Booster:

About Kulbhushan Jadhav:

• A retired Indian Navy officer, Jadhav was arrested by Pakistan in March 2016, and accused of espionage and terrorism.

• He was sentenced to death in April 2017 by a Pakistani military court under charges of spying.

• India maintained that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran, where he was engaged in business activities, and that the trial was unfair.

• India approached the International Court of Justice to halt the execution and secure consular access.

About the International Court of Justice (ICJ):

• Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands

• Established: 1945, as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations

• Functions to settle disputes between nations and provide advisory opinions on international legal issues.

• The ICJ has 15 judges, elected for nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and Security Council.

• In the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, the ICJ ruled 15–1 in favor of India, with the sole dissenting judge being from Pakistan.

Additional Information:

• Harish Salve's efforts were praised widely; he charged only Re 1 as a token fee for representing India.

• ICJ’s ruling forced Pakistan to review the case and grant consular access, which was previously denied multiple times.

• The verdict was seen as a significant diplomatic and legal victory for India on the international stage.