The International Court of Justice has put on hold the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Kulbhushan Jadav case brings a rare moment of renewed hope to the retired naval officer's family that he will one day return home.
"My thoughts tonight are with #KulbhushanJadhav, alone in a prison cell in Pakistan and with his distraught family for whom this verdict brings a rare moment of relief, joy and renewed hope, that he will one day be free to return to his home in India," he tweeted.
Rahul Gandhi's remark came after the word court put on hold the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav in an alleged espionage case. Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence "should remain suspended until Pakistan effectively reviews and reconsiders the conviction and sentence," the UN court said, agreeing with India's stand that Pakistan had violated the Vienna convention by denying consular access to Jadhav after his conviction in a "farcical" closed trial.
"A continued stay of execution constitutes an indispensable condition for the effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav," said the bench led by the President of the Court Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, reading out its verdict at a public sitting in The Hague.
The world court said Pakistan had not informed Mr Jadhav about his rights. "Pakistan deprived India of the right to communicate with and have access to Mr Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, to visit him in detention and to arrange for his legal representation," the UN court ruled.
The verdict was 15 to one in favour of India; the lone dissenter was the judge from Pakistan. Even the judge from China supported India, which can be a significant diplomatic pressure point for Islamabad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, welcoming the verdict, tweeted: "Truth and justice have prevailed. I am sure Kulbhushan Jadhav will get justice".
49-year-old Jadhav was arrested by Pakistan in March 2016 and accused of espionage, a charge India has rubbished. A year later, he was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.