India welcomes ICJ ruling in Kulbhushan Jadhav case

India on Wednesday welcomed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case with several ministers from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government terming it "a big victory".

"International Court of Justice has directed Pakistan to grant consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. It is no doubt a big victory for India," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters here.

"ICJ has talked of giving consular access. We welcome it," Singh added.

In a major relief for India, the ICJ on Wednesday asked Pakistan to review its conviction and sentencing of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, facing execution on charges of spying.

Hailing the verdict of the world court, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Twitter termed it a "big diplomatic win".

"It's a big diplomatic win for India. I Congratulate our Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, Former EAM @SushmaSwaraj ji, and Senior Advocate Harish Salve for their tireless efforts in the matter of Mr. Kulbhudhan Jadhav. @harishsalvee," he said.

"They brought this matter to the International Court and proved that he is innocent. We wish the son of Ma Bharti returns at the earliest," he added.

Former Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj also "wholeheartedly" welcomed the ruling saying that it will provide solace to Jadhav's family members.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the verdict of International Court of Justice in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav. It is a great victory for India," she said in a series of tweets.

Former EAM also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the initiative to take the case before ICJ.

"I thank the Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi for our initiative to take Jadhav's case before International Court of Justice," she wrote.

She also thanked lawyer Harish Salve for presenting India's case before ICJ "very effectively and successfully."

"I hope the verdict will provide the much-needed solace to the family members of Kulbhushan Jadhav," Swaraj tweeted.

It was during Sushma's tenure as External Affairs Minister that India had approached ICJ in the case.

Soon after Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother returned after meeting him in Pakistan in December 2017, they met the then EAM Sushma Swaraj. The meeting was also attended by S Jaishankar (incumbent EAM), then foreign secretary in MEA.

A few days after the meeting, Sushma had slammed Pakistan for using Jadhav's meeting with his family for propaganda.

( With inputs from ANI )