Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says the order of International Court of Justice in Kulbhushan Jadhav case was a serious indictment of the Pakistan’s judicial system.
The Finance Minister, who is in Srinagar to attend the two-day GST Council meeting, said the order issued by the ICJ at The Haque was a vindication of India’s stand.
In an obvious reference to Jadhav’s trial in a Pakistani military court, Jaitley said any form of judicial proceeding which is conducted in secrecy and in darkness and is not open for any public gaze, lacks the very appearance of justice.
The finance minister said In the historical records of international law, this judgement is a great victory of rule of law itself.
Jaitley lauded External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the strategy adopted at the ICJ and made a special mention for Harish Salve who argued the matter.
Senior Advocate Harish Salve said India’s case on Kulbhushan Jadhav has been emboldened and invigorated with the first round of victory at the International Court of Justice(ICJ).
Talking to a private TV channel, Mr. Salve, who represented the country in the World Court, said India had a lot at stake in it and that he felt a positive energy and connect with judges while arguing the matter in which Pakistan did not seem to have the same.
He said the ICJ has rightly held that India should have been granted consular access as per the Vienna Convention to which both the countries have been signatories. He added that the consular access should have been granted in March 2016 itself.
Mr. Salve also said, India’s fight for Jadhav rested on the argument of restitution which basically meant that the verdict of the Pakistani military court which found Jadhav guilty needed to be annulled and the trial started afresh.
Yesterday, International Court of Justice stayed the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav till its final decision.
