India’s Bimal Patel Elected Judge of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

United Nations — Indian jurist Bimal Patel has been elected a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and will join the Hamburg-based court in September.

Patel was elected Thursday by countries that are parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. His election ensures that India will continue to be represented on the tribunal after Neeru Chadha completes her nine-year term in September.

Chadha currently serves as vice president of the tribunal.

Patel is a member of the United Nations International Law Commission and vice chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat. He also serves on the National Security Advisory Board of the National Security Council Secretariat.

He holds doctorates in international law from Leiden University in the Netherlands and Jaipur National University.

Patel’s “election takes forward India’s enduring commitment to multilateralism and Law of the Sea,” India’s mission to the United Nations said in a post on X.

Indian diplomats had campaigned for Patel’s election since last year.

Seven tribunal seats were contested this year, including two allocated to the Asian region. Patel and Vietnam’s Nguyen Lan-Anh Thi won those seats.

Thailand’s Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, a sitting judge whose term ends this year, was not reelected. Indonesia withdrew its candidate before voting began.

Patel received 115 of the 168 valid votes cast during the 36th meeting of states that are parties to the Law of the Sea Convention. The convention has 172 member countries.

The tribunal has 21 judges and hears disputes involving seas and oceans while interpreting international maritime law.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar congratulated Patel and thanked convention members for supporting his candidacy.

“Congratulations Dr. Bimal Patel! Sincerely thank UNCLOS member states for their support,” Jaishankar wrote on X. (Source: IANS)