New Delhi, August 11: India’s Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met with Bimal N. Patel on Monday to congratulate him on his recent election as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
Jaishankar shared a photo from their meeting on the social media platform X, expressing his happiness. He wrote, “It was a pleasure to meet Prof. Dr. Bimal N. Patel today. I congratulated him on his recent election as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and wished him success in his tenure.”
Patel was elected by the countries that are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and will join the tribunal in September. With Patel’s election, India will continue to be represented in the tribunal even after Neeru Chadha completes her nine-year term in September.
An expert in international law, Patel currently works with the UN’s International Law Commission and serves as the Vice Chancellor of the National Defence University in Gujarat. His various roles also include membership in the National Security Advisory Board of the National Security Council Secretariat.
India’s UN mission stated on X that Patel’s election reinforces India’s commitment to multilateralism and the law of the sea. Indian diplomats have been campaigning for his election since last year. Of the seven seats contested this year in the tribunal, two were for the Asian region, which were won by Patel and Vietnam’s Nguyen Lan-Anh. Patel received 115 votes out of 168 valid ballots.
This election took place during the 36th meeting of the states parties to the Convention on the Law of the Sea. The tribunal, located in Hamburg, Germany, consists of 21 judges who adjudicate disputes related to the seas and oceans and interpret maritime law.
EAM Jaishankar thanked the UNCLOS members for their support following Patel’s election.
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