An hour before former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj passed away on Tuesday night, she had asked Harish Salve, the lawyer who represented India at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case related to Kulbhushan Jadhav, to visit her on Wednesday at 6 pm to collect his fee – Re 1.
One of the top lawyers in India, Salve appeared for New Delhi in the case pertaining to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by the Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism."
‘Accepted the Invite to Her Place’: Salve
Expressing his sorrow over her demise, Salve recalled his “emotional conversation” with Swaraj.
Speaking to Times Now, Salve said, "I spoke to her at 8:50 pm. It was a very emotional conversation. She told me to come and meet her and collect the one rupee for the cash that I won."
He added, “I said, of course, I will come to collect that precious fee. She told me to come on Wednesday at 6 pm.”
Last month, the International Court of Justice ruled that Pakistan that Pakistan had violated former Indian naval officer Jadhav's right to consular access and called for a review of the death sentence handed to him.
The ICJ ordered Pakistan to grant consular access to Jadhav without further delay and undertake “effective review and reconsideration”of the conviction and sentence awarded to him.
According to The Quint, Pakistan offered India consular access to Jadhav on Friday, 2 August.
Swaraj Hailed ICJ’s Verdict on Jadhav
Swaraj had described the ICJ's verdict as a 'great victory for India.'
Swaraj held the position of external affairs minister in February this year when India sought the annulment of Jadhav's conviction on grounds that Pakistan convicted him in “farcical” proceedings that violated his rights under the Vienna Convention.
Late night on Tuesday, Swaraj was admitted to AIIMS, where after she suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. She was 67.
(With inputs from Times Now, Hindustan Times)
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