Indian Jurist Bimal Patel Elected to ITLOS

Indian jurist Bimal N. Patel was elected as a Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on 19 June 2026. He secured 115 votes out of 168 valid votes cast by member states at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

ITLOS is an independent judicial body established under UNCLOS, which was adopted in 1982 and entered into force in 1994. The tribunal is based in Hamburg, Germany, and it deals with disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the law of the sea.

Election and Tenure

Patel will serve a nine-year term from 2026 to 2035 and is scheduled to assume office on 1 October 2026. Seven new judges were elected for the 2026-2035 term from India, Vietnam, Ghana, Tunisia, Russia, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

India’s Representation in ITLOS

Patel’s election continues India’s representation on ITLOS after the term of India’s current representative, Neeru Chadha, ends in September 2026. ITLOS judges are elected by States Parties to UNCLOS, and the tribunal has 21 judges serving staggered nine-year terms.

Important Facts for Exams

• UNCLOS is the main international treaty governing the law of the sea.
• ITLOS is one of the institutions associated with UNCLOS.
• The seat of ITLOS is in Hamburg, Germany.
• Bimal N. Patel currently serves on the United Nations International Law Commission and is Vice-Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University.

Related Institutional Facts

The United Nations International Law Commission is a body of the UN General Assembly that works on the codification and progressive development of international law. The election of ITLOS judges is conducted by States Parties to UNCLOS at meetings held under the convention framework.