Jadhav's death sentence should serve as warning: Pak Def Min

April 11, 2017

Islamabad, Apr 11: Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif today said the death sentence handed out to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav for "spying" should serve as a warning to those "plotting" against the country.

"Those plotting against Pakistan will not be spared," Asif said after the Pakistani military announced that an army court has sentenced Jadhav to death after finding him guilty of "espionage and sabotage activities" and the army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has approved his execution.

Jadhav's sentencing by a Pakistani military court was according to the law, Asif told Geo TV. He said the death sentence handed out to Jadhav should serve as a "warning to those plotting" against Pakistan". Asif said that Pakistan would use all constitutional force available against those acting against the sovereignty of the country.

"Soldiers and civilians of Pakistan have given sacrifices for this country and their sacrifices demand us to give a befitting reply to terrorists and those who aid and facilitate them," he said. The defence minister further said that Jadhav's "confession" was a public document and if India raises the issue of his death sentence, Islamabad will reply to New Delhi.

Jadhav came (to Pakistan) with the approval of the Indian government," he claimed and said there is no doubt that India was "fueling terrorism in Pakistan." Replying to a question on dealing the issue on diplomatic and political fronts, he said that Pakistan would present the issue on every international forum. According to Asif, the world had acknowledged Pakistan's struggle against terrorism and the country was dealing with this "menace" from both the "eastern and western front".

Pakistan sentenced Jadhav to death for carrying out espionage and sabotage activities in Balochistan and Karachi, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. According to ISPR, Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel was arrested on March 3, 2016 from Mashkel area of Balochistan for his "involvement in espionage and sabotage actives" in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province and Karachi city.

Reacting strongly, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar in New Delhi summoned Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit and gave a demarche, which said the proceedings that have led to the sentence against Jadhav are "farcical in the absence of any credible evidence" against him. Asif rejected the Indian stance of terming death sentence as a premeditated murder and claimed Jadhav was involved in carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan and all legal formalities were met during his trial.

He accused India of "committing premeditated murder of the innocent people of Kashmir since last seven decades". He said New Delhi's stubbornness is the biggest hindrance in the way of the relationship between the two countries. Asif made it clear that the law will take its course if anyone poses a threat to the security and integrity of Pakistan.

He claimed India has not fulfilled its legal and moral obligations in brining perpetrators of Samjhauta Express train blasts to justice. Defending Jadhav's death sentence, Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it was done according to the law. He made the remarks while responding to a question in Senate, the upper house of parliament.

Aziz said that it was too early to say when the sentence would be implemented. Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti welcomed the decision. "I believe this is a good decision." Though the some senior official spoke on the issue, but so far the Foreign Office has not responded on the issue.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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