Bimal Patel Elected as Judge of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
Bimal Patel's Election to ITLOS
File image of Professor Bimal N. Patel(Photo: IANS)
United Nations, June 19: Bimal Patel from India has been appointed as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
His election took place on Thursday, where nations that are part of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea cast their votes. Patel is set to join the tribunal in September.
With this appointment, India will maintain its representation on the tribunal as Neeru Chadha's nine-year term concludes in September. Chadha currently serves as the tribunal's vice president.
Patel is an esteemed international jurist, holding a position on the UN’s International Law Commission and serving as the vice chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat.
He is also a member of the National Security Advisory Board within the National Security Council Secretariat.
Patel holds PhDs in International Law from both Leiden University in the Netherlands and Jaipur National University.
India’s UN Mission highlighted that Patel’s election underscores the country’s ongoing commitment to multilateralism and the Law of the Sea.
Indian diplomats have been actively campaigning for his election at the UN since the previous year.
Out of the seven available seats on the tribunal this year, two were designated for the Asian region, which were successfully secured by Patel and Nguyen Lan-Anh Thi from Vietnam.
Thailand’s candidate, Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, who is currently a judge, lost the election, while Indonesia withdrew its candidate prior to the voting.
Patel garnered 115 votes from a total of 168 valid votes cast.
The election occurred during the thirty-sixth meeting of States Parties to the Law of the Sea Convention, which includes 172 member states.
Located in Hamburg, Germany, the tribunal consists of 21 judges who adjudicate disputes related to seas and oceans and interpret maritime law.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressed gratitude to the UNCLOS members for their support in a post on his X account, stating, "Congratulations Dr. Bimal Patel! Sincerely thank UNCLOS member states for their support."