Jurist Bimal Patel Wins Tribunal Election In New York

NEW YORK- Bimal Patel of India has been elected a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), ensuring India’s continued representation on the Hamburg-based judicial body.

Patel was elected on June 18 by countries that are signatories to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and will join the tribunal in September.

His election will allow India to retain its seat on the tribunal after the completion of the nine-year term of Indian judge Neeru Chadha, who currently serves as vice president of the tribunal.

Patel is a member of the UN International Law Commission and serves as vice chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat. He is also a member of the National Security Advisory Board under India’s National Security Council Secretariat.

Patel was elected to one of two seats allocated to the Asian region, receiving 115 votes out of 168 valid votes cast during the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, whose membership stands at 172 countries.

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has 21 judges and adjudicates disputes involving oceans and maritime law.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar welcomed the result and thanked member states for their support.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Congratulations Dr. Bimal Patel! Sincerely thank UNCLOS member states for their support.” (IANS)