India has asked Pakistan to appoint a Queen’s Counsel (QC) as lawyer for Kulbhushan Jadhav in the International Court of Justice-mandated review of his death sentence in Islamabad high court.
Senior advocate and former solicitor general Harish Salve is the natural choice for India as he’s the only Indian lawyer to be appointed Queen’s Counsel in recent times. As per its legal definition, Queen’s Counsel is a barrister, or advocate, appointed counsel to the Crown on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor and is entitled to sit within the bar of the court and wear a silk gown. Salve, who represented Jadhav at the ICJ too, was appointed QC for the courts of England and Wales in January. While he still practises in India, he’s based out of London mostly now.
While Islamabad has rejected the demand for an Indian lawyer, saying only a lawyer with licence to practise in Pakistan can represent Jadhav, India believes a Queen’s Counsel may be a way out of this impasse if Pakistan is serious about the Jadhav review.
Salve’s defence of Jadhav saw the ICJ asking Pakistan for an effective review and reconsideration of the death sentence awarded to him by a military court and also upholding India’s demand for consular access to Jadhav.
