Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Jaishankar meets Bimal Patel, congratulates ITLOS judge election
A man named Bimal N. Patel is a very smart lawyer who knows a lot about the world's oceans.
He was chosen to be a judge on a special court that helps countries solve disagreements about the sea.
This court is called the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea.
The countries that signed an agreement about the ocean voted to pick him.
He got 115 votes out of 168 votes, which is a lot of support.
India's foreign minister, S Jaishankar, met him and said congratulations.
Mr. Patel will start his new job in September.
Another judge from India named Neeru Chadha is finishing her time on the court at the same time.
This means India will still have a judge on the ocean court.
The court is in a city called Hamburg, in Germany.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Bimal N. Patel and congratulated him on his election as a Judge of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
Patel was elected by countries that are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and will join the tribunal in September.
Patel received 115 votes out of 168 valid votes during the thirty-sixth meeting of States Parties to the Law of the Sea Convention.
He currently serves on the UN's International Law Commission and is the Vice Chancellor of the Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat.
India will continue to be represented on the tribunal when Neeru Chadha, the current Vice President, completes her nine-year term in September.
- Who
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Bimal N. Patel, an international jurist elected as a Judge of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
- What
- Jaishankar congratulated Patel on his election as an ITLOS judge, with Patel set to join the tribunal in September.
- When
- The meeting took place on Monday; Patel's election was held during the thirty-sixth meeting of States Parties to the Law of the Sea Convention.
- Where
- The meeting was reported from New Delhi; ITLOS is based in Hamburg, Germany.
- Why
- Patel was elected by signatory countries to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and India's UN Mission said the election takes forward India's enduring commitment to multilateralism and the Law of the Sea.
Institutional continuity
Individual profile
Significance of the election
Institutional continuity
Patel's election maintains India's representation on ITLOS after Neeru Chadha completes her term, reflecting the country's institutional commitment to the Law of the Sea.
Individual profile
Patel's personal credentials as an international jurist, including service on the International Law Commission and as Vice Chancellor, earned him the judgeship.
- Position
- Judge, International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)
- Votes received
- 115 out of 168 valid votes
- Election body
- Signatory countries to UNCLOS at the thirty-sixth meeting of States Parties
- Start date
- September
- Tribunal location
- Hamburg, Germany
- Current roles
- Member of the UN International Law Commission; Vice Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University, Gujarat
- Asian seats won
- Patel (India) and Nguyen Lan-Anh Thi (Vietnam)