Hamburg, October 2 (Daily Kiran) : Bimal Patel of India was sworn in as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on October 2, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany. His tenure will last for nine years, ensuring India’s ongoing presence in this crucial international judicial body focused on maritime law.
Patel succeeds Neeru Chadha, who completed her term as a judge and previously served as the tribunal’s vice president. A recognized expert in international law, Patel has previously been a member of the United Nations International Law Commission and served as the Vice Chancellor of Gujarat National Law University.
Elected last year by countries that are parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Patel received 115 votes out of 168 valid ballots cast during the elections held at the UN in New York. UNCLOS has 172 member states, and ITLOS was established under this treaty to resolve disputes related to the seas and oceans while interpreting maritime law.
ITLOS comprises 21 judges representing various regions around the world, although not all judges’ terms end simultaneously. Alongside Patel, four other judges took their oaths: Sylvia Ama Adwoa Aduse of Ghana, Jorge Rodrigo Bandeira Galindo of Brazil, Slim Laghmani of Tunisia, and Lien-Anh Thi Nguyen of Vietnam.
Patel holds a Ph.D. in international law from Leiden University in the Netherlands and Jaipur National University. He has also held significant positions, including membership on the National Security Advisory Board of the National Security Council Secretariat.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, based in Hamburg, is an independent international judicial institution that adjudicates maritime disputes between states and interprets the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
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