United Nations, June 19 (IANS) Bimal Patel of India has been elected a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

United Nations, June 19 (IANS) Bimal Patel of India has been elected a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

After his election by the countries that are signatories to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea here on Thursday, he will join the tribunal in September.

With his election, India will continue to be represented on the tribunal when Neeru Chadha completes her nine-year term in September.

She is currently the vice president of the tribunal.

Patel, an international jurist, currently serves on the UN’s International Law Commission and is the vice chancellor of the Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat.

Among the various offices he holds is membership of the National Security Advisory Board of the National Security Council Secretariat.

He has PhDs in International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands and Jaipur National University.

Patel’s “election takes forward India’s enduring commitment to multilateralism and Law of the Sea”, India’s UN Mission said on X.

Indian diplomats campaigned at the UN since last year for his election.

Of the seven seats on the tribunal that were up for election this year, two were for the Asian region, and they were won by Patel and Vietnam’s Nguyen Lan-Anh Thi.

Thailand’s candidate, Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, who is a sitting judge completing his term this year, lost the election, while Indonesia withdrew its candidate before the election.

Patel received 115 votes out of the168 valid votes.

The election was held during the thirty-sixth meeting of States Parties to the Law of the Sea Convention, who number 172.

The tribunal based in Hamburg, Germany, has 21 judges who rule on disputes regarding seas and oceans and interpret the law of the sea.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar thanked the UNCLOS members for the support.

In a post on his X handle, the EAM wrote, “Congratulations Dr. Bimal Patel! Sincerely thank UNCLOS member states for their support.”

–IANS

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