Update : ICJ Verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, Netherlands, is expected to pronounce its judgment in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case today.

What had happened?

• Kulbhushan Jadhav was caught by Pakistani law enforcement. He was accused of being an Indian spy and was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.
• India has contested the verdict and has maintained Kulbhushan Jadhav is not an Indian spy.
• India had approached the ICJ against the verdict and a long trail was ongoing in the Hague.
• India considers the death sentence delivered to Jadhav by a Pakistani military court as illegal , and has asked for a retrial.
• Pakistan claims that the Indian petition is not needed and hopes that the ICJ case will be dismissed.

What will happen?

The President of the UN judicial organ will deliver the final judgment. The remaining judges on the panel will either have to concur fully with the final verdict of the President or will have to deliver other supporting or dissenting opinions. The entire process may take anything from a few minutes to more than an hour.

What is the ICJ?

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN) which was established by the Charter of the United Nations on June 1945. It started its work in April 1946. The bench of the Court is located at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Its main role is to settle legal disputes submitted to it by Member States. It also gives advisory opinions on legal questions when asked by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

The ICJ bench is composed of 15 judges. Their term is nine years.