A plea was filed in the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking directions to the government to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to secure the release from Pakistan of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The plea said an Indian citizen had been illegally detained and wrongly awarded capital punishment by a Pakistani military court without providing him a fair trial.

Pakistan has not made public copies of the chargesheet against Jadhav and the copy of the judgment sentencing him to death, said Rahul Sharma, a social activist who approached the court.

Jadhav, sentenced to death on April 10, faced seven charges including espionage and waging war against Pakistan. Islamabad has rejected Indian requests for consular access to Jadhav.

The petition stated that the Indian government must challenge the violations of international law by the Pakistan government by taking the matter to the International Court of Justice.