Bimal N Patel elected as judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Professor Bimal N Patel has been elected as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). He secured his position through a vote among states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) during the thirty-sixth meeting of States Parties to the Law of the Sea Convention.

Patel is scheduled to assume his responsibilities at the Hamburg-based judicial body in September. His election ensures continued Indian representation at the 21-judge tribunal, as Neeru Chadha, the current Vice President of ITLOS, completes her nine-year tenure in September.

An eminent international jurist, Patel serves as a member of the UN’s International Law Commission and is the Vice Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat. He has also served on the National Security Advisory Board within the National Security Council Secretariat. India’s UN Mission noted that his election reflects the nation’s commitment to multilateralism and the Law of the Sea.