The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Hague will on Wednesday give its verdict on the fate of 49-year-old Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, who was awarded death penalty by a Pakistani military court in April 2017 on charges of "espionage and terrorism" after a closed trial.
The death sentence handed to Jadhav evoked a sharp reaction in India, forcing the Indian government to approach the ICJ in order to stop Islamabad from executing the order of its military court.
Here is a timeline of the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the ICJ:
17 July 2019: ICJ gave its judgement in the case and held Pakistan guilty of breaking Vienna Convention in Kulbhushan Jadhav's case. The ICJ also suspended the death sentence awarded to Jadhav by a Pakistani military court in 2017. The ICJ in Hague has also ordered Pakistan to grant consular access to Jadhav.
18-21 February 2019: Final Oral Hearings in the ICJ
17 July 2018: Pakistan files its Rejoinder (2nd round of written pleadings)
17 April 2018: India files its Reply in the Court (2nd round of written pleadings)
17 January 2018: Court accepts India’s request and gives time of 3 months each to India and Pakistan to file 2nd round of written pleadings
5 January 2018: Pakistan opposes India’s request
19 December 2017: India sought 3 months to file Reply (2nd pleadings)
13 December 2017: Pakistan filed its Counter Memorial (first written pleadings)
13 September 2017: India files its Memorial (first round of written pleadings)
18 May 2017: ICJ unanimously issues binding order indicating Provisional Measures asked by India to take all measures to prevent execution of Jadhav pending final judgment of the Court.
15 May 2017: ICJ hears India’s request for Provisional Measures
9 May 2017: ICJ sent an urgent communication to Pakistan PM, and called upon Pakistan, to act in such a way, pending Court’s decision on India’s Request for Provisional Measures (stay order) as will enable any Order the Court may make on this Request
to have its appropriate effects.
8 May 2017: India instituted proceedings in the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963
ii. India asked ICJ to issue ‘Provisional Measures’;
iii. India asked Court to issue immediate instructions to Pakistan to not take any action on the sentence awarded to Jadhav till India’s request for Provisional Measures was considered.