NEW DELHI: New Delhi has instituted proceedings in the International Court of Justice in the matter of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian spy captured and sentenced to death in Pakistan earlier this year.

Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel was arrested on March 3, 2016, through a Counter-Intelligence Operation from Mashkel area of Balochistan for his involvement in espionage and sabotage actives in Pakistan.

According to a press release on Tuesday from The Hague based ICJ, India has requested the United Nations' judicial organ to provide relief "by way of immediate suspension of the sentence of death awarded to the accused".

India has contended that it was not granted consular access to Jadhav, which was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. India has also claimed that it learned about the death sentence by way of a press release.

Jadhav, a serving Indian Navy officer and an on-duty RAW operative, was arrested on March 3, 2016, through a counter-intelligence operation from Mashkel area of Balochistan.

He also confessed to his involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan in a video statement last year.

On April 10, Jadhav was awarded a death sentence by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) for espionage and sabotage.

Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa ratified Jadhav's sentencing by the FGCM.