Hamburg, Germany: Indian jurist Bimal Patel has officially assumed office as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), beginning his nine-year term at the tribunal’s headquarters in Hamburg.
Patel administered his oath on Thursday, marking the start of his nine-year mandate at the international judicial institution responsible for dealing with disputes relating to maritime law and the interpretation of the law of the sea.
His appointment continues India’s representation on the tribunal. Neeru Chadha, who previously served as a vice president of ITLOS, completed her term on Wednesday.
Bimal Patel Elected to ITLOS With 115 Votes
Patel is a distinguished international jurist who previously served as a member of the United Nations International Law Commission. He also served as vice chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat before being elected to the ITLOS bench by states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) last year.
During the election held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Patel secured 115 votes out of 168 valid ballots.
Along with Patel, four other jurists were elected to the tribunal last year and were sworn in alongside him. They are Sylvia Ama Adusu of Ghana, George Rodrigo Bandeira Galindo of Brazil, Slim Laghmani of Tunisia and Lan-Anh Thi Nguyen of Viet Nam.
ITLOS Role Under UNCLOS
ITLOS is an independent judicial institution headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. It was established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to adjudicate maritime disputes and interpret provisions of the convention.
A total of 172 states have formally acceded to UNCLOS, the key international treaty governing the law of the sea.
The tribunal consists of 21 judges representing different geographical regions of the world. Judges serve staggered terms to maintain continuity in the tribunal’s functioning.
Bimal Patel’s Academic and Professional Background
Patel holds doctoral degrees in International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands and Jaipur National University.
His professional experience also includes serving as a member of the National Security Advisory Board under the National Security Council Secretariat.
With Patel taking office, India continues to have representation at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which plays a central role in the international legal framework governing maritime and ocean-related disputes.