Bimal Patel sworn in as judge of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

India’s Bimal Patel has been sworn in as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), beginning his nine-year term at the international judicial body based in Hamburg, Germany.

Patel took the oath of office on Thursday at the tribunal, continuing India’s representation on the body responsible for adjudicating maritime disputes and interpreting the law of the sea.

His term began a day after Neeru Chadha, who served as vice president of the tribunal, completed her tenure.

An international law expert, Patel previously served on the UN International Law Commission and was vice chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat. He was elected to the ITLOS last year by states that are party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Patel secured 115 of the 168 valid votes in the election held at the United Nations in New York.

ITLOS was established under UNCLOS to settle disputes concerning the seas and oceans and to interpret and apply the convention. The tribunal has 21 judges representing different geographic regions, with terms staggered to ensure continuity.

Four other judges elected alongside Patel last year were also sworn in. 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.

Patel holds PhDs in International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands and Jaipur National University. He has held several public and academic positions, including membership of the National Security Advisory Board under the National Security Council Secretariat.

Headquartered in Hamburg, ITLOS is an independent judicial body established under the 1982 UNCLOS framework and deals with disputes relating to the interpretation and application of the convention.