Indian jurist Bimal N Patel has been elected as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term, securing 115 votes at the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in New York. He will assume office on October 1, 2026, succeeding Justice Neeru Chadha, whose nine-year term concludes in September 2026. With this election, India maintains its uninterrupted representation on the world’s foremost judicial body for maritime disputes since the tribunal’s inception in 1996.
Who Is Bimal N. Patel?
Bimal N. Patel is a distinguished Indian jurist and academic whose career spans more than three decades in international law, maritime law, and national security. He currently serves as Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Public International Law at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, an Institute of National Importance focused on national security education.
Patel is a serving member of the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC), elected by the UN General Assembly in 2021 for the term 2023-2027. Within the ILC, he chairs the Working Group on Succession of States in respect of State Responsibility. He also serves on India’s National Security Advisory Board, which advises the National Security Council Secretariat under the Prime Minister’s Office.
His academic credentials include two PhDs in International Law. The first is from Leiden University in the Netherlands, one of the world’s leading law schools, and the second from Jaipur National University. He also holds an LLM in International Law from Leiden University and an MA in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam.
Before joining RRU in 2020, Patel served as Director of Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) from 2008 to 2019, where he oversaw the university’s expansion over two consecutive terms. He was also a member of the 21st Law Commission of India and served as Lead Academic Adviser to India’s delegation during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2021-2022).
Earlier in his career, Patel worked for 15 years with international organisations, including the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at The Hague in the Netherlands, and the United Nations of Youth. He has authored several books on international law, including The State Practice of India and the Development of International Law and National Security of India and International Law.
What Is ITLOS and Why Does It Matter?
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an independent judicial body established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), signed at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on December 10, 1982. The Convention entered into force on November 16, 1994, and ITLOS began its operations in 1996 with its seat in Hamburg, Germany.
The Tribunal is composed of 21 independent members elected by secret ballot by the States Parties to UNCLOS. Judges serve nine-year terms, with elections for one-third of the members held every three years. The Statute requires equitable geographical distribution, with no fewer than three judges from each UN geographical group. Currently, there are five judges from Africa, five from Asia, four from Latin America and the Caribbean, four from Western Europe and Other States, and three from Eastern Europe.
ITLOS has jurisdiction over disputes concerning the interpretation or application of UNCLOS. These include:
- Delimitation of maritime zones such as territorial seas, exclusive economic zones, and continental shelves
- Navigation rights and freedom of the high seas
- Conservation and management of living marine resources
- Protection and preservation of the marine environment
- Marine scientific research
- Seabed mining and exploration of mineral resources in the international seabed area
ITLOS is one of four dispute settlement mechanisms listed under Article 287 of UNCLOS, alongside the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arbitral tribunals, and special arbitral tribunals. States Parties to UNCLOS can choose which forum they prefer for resolving their disputes.
UNCLOS currently has 172 States Parties, including India, which ratified the Convention on June 29, 1995. Notably, the United States has signed but not ratified UNCLOS, objecting primarily to the provisions on seabed mining in Part XI.
The Seabed Disputes Chamber
ITLOS also houses a Seabed Disputes Chamber, a standing body of 11 judges that deals with disputes arising from the exploration and exploitation of the international seabed area (the “Area”). The Chamber has exclusive jurisdiction over such disputes and can also give advisory opinions at the request of the Assembly or Council of the International Seabed Authority, based in Kingston, Jamaica.
India’s Unbroken Presence at ITLOS
India has maintained a continuous presence on the ITLOS bench since the tribunal’s establishment, with Patel becoming the third Indian judge to serve on the court.
| Judge | Term | Notable Position |
|---|---|---|
| P. Chandrasekhara Rao | 1996-2017 | President of ITLOS (1999-2002) |
| Neeru Chadha | 2017-2026 | Vice President of ITLOS (2023-2026) |
| Bimal N. Patel | 2026-2035 | Incoming Judge |
P. Chandrasekhara Rao was among the first cohort of judges elected when ITLOS was constituted in 1996. An eminent Indian diplomat and jurist, he served as the second President of ITLOS from 1999 to 2002 and remained on the bench for 21 years until 2017.
Neeru Chadha was elected in June 2017 as the first Indian woman judge of ITLOS, receiving 120 votes in the first round of voting. She is currently the Vice President of ITLOS, having been elected to that position in October 2023. Prior to her judgeship, Chadha served as Additional Secretary and Legal Adviser in the Ministry of External Affairs, representing India in several high-profile international arbitrations, including the Bay of Bengal Maritime Boundary Arbitration with Bangladesh and the Enrica Lexie case with Italy before ITLOS.
Bimal Patel’s election ensures that India’s voice remains on the Tribunal without any gap in representation. This continuity is particularly significant given the growing number of maritime disputes in the Indian Ocean region and the increasing importance of the law of the sea for India’s strategic interests.
The Election: A Strong Mandate
Patel’s election took place during the 36th Meeting of States Parties to UNCLOS, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from June 15 to June 19, 2026. Seven judgeships were up for election to fill positions whose terms expired on September 30, 2026.
Of the two seats allocated to the Asian Group, Patel and Nguyen Lan-Anh Thi of Vietnam emerged victorious. Thailand’s sitting judge, Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, failed in his bid for re-election, while Indonesia withdrew its candidate before the vote. The other five newly elected judges represent Ghana, Tunisia, Russia, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
The seven newly elected judges for the 2026-2035 term are:
| Country | Judge |
|---|---|
| India | Bimal N. Patel |
| Vietnam | Nguyen Lan-Anh Thi |
| Ghana | Sylvia Ama Adusu |
| Tunisia | Slim Laghmani |
| Russia | Roman Kolodkin |
| Brazil | George Rodrigo Bandeira Galindo |
| Netherlands | Liesbeth Lijnzaad |
Patel’s 115 votes out of 168 valid votes cast represented a strong endorsement by UNCLOS member states. The election was conducted among the 172 States Parties to the Convention, each casting a secret ballot.
India’s Diplomatic Campaign
India mounted a sustained diplomatic effort to secure Patel’s election, reflecting the strategic importance it placed on retaining the ITLOS seat. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar personally congratulated Patel and thanked UNCLOS member states for their support. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, described the election as a “significant milestone.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had nominated Patel as India’s candidate in late 2025. The MEA subsequently hosted a diplomatic reception in New Delhi in October 2025, where Secretary (West) Sibi George introduced Patel to the ambassadors and high commissioners of UNCLOS member states, reaffirming India’s commitment to a free, fair, and rules-based maritime order.
Significance for India’s Maritime Interests
Patel’s election comes at a critical juncture for India’s maritime strategy, as the Indian Ocean region witnesses intensifying geopolitical competition and growing maritime security challenges.
Strategic Importance of the Indian Ocean
India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) spans over 2.3 million square kilometres, and the country depends on the Indian Ocean for more than 90% of its trade by volume and 80% of its energy imports. As a major littoral state, India has a direct stake in the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes and the stable interpretation of UNCLOS provisions.
The Tribunal has addressed issues directly relevant to India’s interests, including maritime boundary delimitation, the rights of coastal states over their EEZs, and the regulation of seabed activities. With the International Seabed Authority currently finalising the Mining Code for deep-sea mineral extraction, ITLOS will play an increasingly important role in shaping the legal framework for seabed mining, an area where India has made substantial investments through its Deep Ocean Mission.
The MAHASAGAR Doctrine
Patel’s election aligns with India’s broader maritime vision articulated through the MAHASAGAR doctrine (Mutual and Holistic Advancement of Security and Growth of All Regions), announced by Prime Minister Modi. This doctrine emphasises a rules-based maritime order, capacity building in the Indo-Pacific, and respect for international law. Having an Indian jurist on ITLOS strengthens India’s ability to influence the development of maritime jurisprudence in a direction consistent with these principles.
ITLOS Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
In a landmark development, ITLOS delivered an Advisory Opinion on Climate Change on May 21, 2024, at the request of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law. The opinion affirmed that greenhouse gas emissions constitute marine pollution under UNCLOS and that states have binding obligations to protect the marine environment from climate impacts. This opinion has significant implications for India’s climate policy and its obligations under both UNCLOS and the Paris Agreement.
Key Takeaways
- Bimal N. Patel has been elected as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term, securing 115 votes at the 36th Meeting of States Parties to UNCLOS in New York.
- He will assume office on October 1, 2026, succeeding Neeru Chadha, the first Indian woman judge and current Vice President of ITLOS, whose term ends in September 2026.
- Patel is the third Indian judge to serve on ITLOS, following P. Chandrasekhara Rao (1996-2017) and Neeru Chadha (2017-2026), ensuring India’s uninterrupted representation since 1996.
- He currently serves as Vice-Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University, a member of the UN International Law Commission, and a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board.
- ITLOS, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, is a 21-member judicial body established under UNCLOS (1982) to adjudicate disputes relating to the interpretation and application of the law of the sea.
- India ratified UNCLOS on June 29, 1995, and the Convention currently has 172 States Parties.
