India’s Bimal Patel elected as judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Bimal N. Patel, Vice-Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University and a member of the UN International Law Commission since January 2023, has been elected as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026–2035 term. He takes office on October 1, 2026.

An international law jurist, academician and administrator, Patel also chairs the International Law Commission's Working Group on Succession of States in respect of State Responsibility.

His appointment places an Indian jurist on the bench of an international tribunal that adjudicates disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.