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This Is What Harish Salve Is Charging To Represent India At The International Court of Justice

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Harish Salve, council for Reliance Industries Ltd., speaks to reporters after a hearing at the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India, on Monday, July 20, 2009.
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Harish Salve, council for Reliance Industries Ltd., speaks to reporters after a hearing at the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India, on Monday, July 20, 2009.

Harish Salve, among the country's highest paid lawyers, is charging ₹1 to fight India's case at the International Court of Justice against the death penalty awarded to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav by Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has revealed.

When Twitter user Sanjeev Goyal told filmmaker Ashok Pandit that "any good India lawyer would have done the same (fight for Jadhav's release) and with much less expenses," Swaraj pointed out that Salve was actually charging the state only ₹1 to defend Jadhav.

Salve is India's lead attorney at the ICJ hearing.

PTI adds: India and Pakistan yesterday crossed swords at the International Court of Justice over Jadhav's case with New Delhi demanding the immediate suspension of his death sentence and Islamabad accusing it of using the world body as a stage for "political theatre" through a "misconceived" plea.

The two neighbours -- who last faced off at the ICJ 18 years ago when Islamabad sought its intervention over the shooting down of its naval aircraft -- India took the Jadhav case to the world court, accusing Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention and conducting a "farcical trial" for convicting Jadhav without a "shred of evidence".

Salve said, "The execution of the death sentence cannot be done while this court is hearing the appeal. Else, it will be a violation of the Vienna Convention." Earlier, Salve said Pakistan had denied India its 16 requests for consular

Jadhav, the latest flashpoint in the tensions between Pakistan and India, was sentenced last month. On May 8, India moved the ICJ against the death penalty, alleging violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. On May 9, the highest court in the UN gave Jadhav a lease of life.

India, in its appeal to the ICJ, had asserted that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian Navy. However, it denies that he has any connection with the government. Pakistan claims to have arrested Jadhav from its restive Balochistan province.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.