Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: India Spent Re 1 As Fee

To represent India during the public hearing in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, senior advocate Harish Salve charged Re 1 as his fee.

On the other hand, Pakistan, spent over Rs 20 crore on lawyers to prove that Jadhav was a spy.

It may be mentioned here that former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had on May 15, 2017, revealed in a tweet that Salve was charging merely Re 1 to represent India in the Hague.

According to reports, Salve charges Rs 30 lakh a day otherwise.

Reports further reveal that the Pakistan government had in its budget document presented in the National Assembly the last year said that it paid Rs 20 crore to UK-based barrister Khawar Qureshi, who is representing the country in the Hague.

It may be mentioned here that Qureshi is the youngest lawyer fighting a case in the ICJ.

Meanwhile, Harish Salve said on Wednesday that Pakistan repeatedly displayed what it claimed was Kulbhushan Jadhav's passport which led to the top court rejecting Islamabad's argument that Jadhav's nationality was uncertain.

It is worth mentioning here that after ICJ rejected most of Pakistan's arguments by a vote of 15-1, the Imran Khan government said that it is a "big win" for India as ICJ rejected India's demand of Jadhav's release repatriation.

The Pakistan foreign office has meanwhile said it will now proceed "as per law" in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case after the ICJ ruled that it must review the death sentence for the Indian national who was charged for "espionage and terrorism".

The Foreign Office in a statement said Pakistan as a "responsible member" of the international community "upheld its commitment" from the very beginning of the case by appearing before the court for the provisional measures hearing despite the very short notice.