Kulbhushan Jadhav gets relief: ICJ rules in favour of India by 15 votes to 1

In a major victory for India, the International Court of Justice on Wednesday ruled that Pakistan must review the death sentence for Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.

Jadhav, 49, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by the Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" after a closed trial in April 2017. His sentencing evoked a sharp reaction in India.

Reading out the verdict, President of the Court Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf ordered an "effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Mr Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav".

The verdict went India's way by a resounding 15 votes to one. 

Read Also | ICJ grants consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, says execution should remain suspended

Of the 16 judges, three have an 'India connection': Justice Dalveer Bhandari was a judge in the Supreme Court, while James Richard Crawford has appeared in cases against New Delhi twice while Peter Tomka was the arbitrator in the Indus Waters Kishenganga case (2010-2013), according to The Week.

Here's the full list of judges:

1. ICJ president Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia)
2. Vice president Xue Hanqin (China)
3. Judge Peter Tomka (Slovakia)
4. Judge Ronny Abraham (France)
5. Judge Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco)
6. Judge Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade (Brazil)
7. Judge Giorgio Gaja (Italy)
8. Judge Joan E Donoghue (US)
9. Judge Julia Sebutinde (Uganda)
10. Judge Dalveer Bhandari (India)
11. Judge Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica)
12. Judge James Richard Crawford (Australia)
13. Judge Kirill Gevorgian (Russian Federation)
14. Judge Nawaf Salam (Lebanon)
15. Judge Yuji Iwasawa (Japan)
16. Tassaduq Hussain Jillani (Pakistan)

The verdict in the high-profile case comes nearly five months after a 15-member bench of ICJ led by Judge Yusuf had reserved its decision on February 21 after hearing oral submissions by India and Pakistan. The proceedings of the case took two years and two months to complete.

Read Also | Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Sushma Swaraj congratulates nation, credits victory to PM Modia

India moved the ICJ in May 8, 2017 for the "egregious violation" of the provisions of the Vienna Convention by Pakistan by repeatedly denying New Delhi consular access to Jadhav.

(With PTI inputs)