Soli’s stance

Former attorney general Soli Sorabjee (pictured) was "delighted” with ace lawyer and former junior in his chambers Harish Salve’s success in convincing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to direct Pakistan not to carry out Kulbhushan Jadhav’s execution, reported The Times of India (TOI) dated May 19, 2017. Jadhav, a serving commander in the Indian Navy was arrested in Pakistan on March 3, 2016 for alleged subversive activities and was sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial in that country on April 10 this year. On May 18, the ICJ stayed the hanging, after Salve argued the case in that Court.
Ironically, in 1999-2000, Sorabjee had argued before the ICJ that that it had no jurisdiction to entertain Pakistan’s plea against India, in a case involving the downing of a Pakistani naval patrol plane. The incident had taken place over the Rann of Kutch in August 1999, months after the Kargil War between the two countries, reported TOI. The Indian Air Force had downed the plane on grounds that it had violated Indian air space and did not turn back despite repeated warnings. Pakistan’s plea was rejected by a 14-2 verdict by the ICJ in June 2000 on the grounds that the matter was covered by the Simla Accord of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 2000 between the two countries, said the report.
Sorabjee and Salve were top law officers for the country in the National Democratic Alliance government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sorabjee as attorney general and Salve as solicitor general.