New Delhi, Jul 17 (IANS): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday described the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) verdict to continue the stay on the death sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav as a "massive victory" for India.

"The ICJ has given orders to Pakistan to give consular access to Jadhav and it is a massive victory," Rajnath Singh told the media here.

In a huge victory for India, the ICJ on Wednesday ordered Pakistan not to execute Jadhav and asked it to reconsider the sentence awarded to him by a military court.

The world court also directed Pakistan to grant consular access to Jadhav, while holding that it had "breached" the Vienna Convention in this regard by denying him this right.

In November 2008, India and Pakistan had inked a bilateral agreement on consular access to their prisoners in each others' countries.

Jadhav, an Indian naval officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017 for alleged espionage. India had approached the ICJ to stay the execution.