Bimal Patel Age, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Bimal Patel

• Bimal Patel hails from a small village, Khadol of District Kantha in Gujarat.

• After completing his bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Bimal moved to The Netherlands and joined Secretariat of the United Nation of Youth as a International Secretariat Co-Coordinator.

• In 1993, while working at United Nation of Youth, he completed a Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations and Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands.

• In 1995 earned a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam, where he did his research on the role of the United Nations Security Council in peaceful dispute resolution after the Cold War,

• From 1995 to 2008, Patel worked with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), The Hague, Netherlands, where he gained experience in international law, treaty implementation, international administration, and legal affairs.

• At OPCW, he spent nearly 14 years and became one of the few Indian legal scholars with long-term experience inside an international treaty organization.

• In 1999, Patel completed a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Law at Leiden University and focused on accountability and responsibility of international organizations.

• In 2008, Bimal Patel became Director of Gujarat National Law University and later transformed it into a research-focused institution with wider international academic collaborations.

• His appointment was done by the then Chief Justice of India, K G Balakrishna.
• During his tenure at GNLU, he brought international conferences, legal scholars, and global research partnership to the university.

• Under the leadership of Patel, GNLU has had steady growth. Since 2011, GNLU has started receiving US$2 million grants from the UGC under its five-year plan for general and overall development.

• He also brought two prestigious global level conferences in India the Prestigious External Program of the Academy in collaboration with the Hague Academy of International Law, one of the most prestigious international law academies, and the Global Maritime Conference where the Under Secretary-General of the United Nations delivered the keynote.

• In 2012, Bimal completed his first PhD in International Law from Jaipur National University, where his research was focused on responsibility of international organizations including the United Nations, Worl Bank, International Atomic Energy Agency, and European Union.

• In 2015, Patel completed his second PhD degree in International Law from Leiden University, where he researched on India’s state practice in international law.

• From 2015 to 2018, he served as a Member of the 21st Law Commission of India, where he contributed in drafting and advising on legal frameworks related to anti-piracy laws, maritime security, deep sea mining, and other policy matters.

• In 2020, Bimal Patel was appointed as Vice-Chancellor and Director General of Rashtriya Raksha University.

• In 2021, he was elected as a member of the United Nation International Law Commission and became one of the Indian legal experts involved in the development of international law.

• During India’s tenure as a member of the UN Security Council 2021-22, Bimal was one of the Lead Academic Advisers to India.

• In June 2026, Patel came into news after he was elected as a Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), which became one of the biggest international recognitions of his legal career.

• Bimal also served as a member of the Editorial Board of the ICRC International Review of the Red Cross, Geneva.

• Additionally, he is co-chair of the American Society of International Law Interest Group on Law of the Sea and a Member of Antarctica Environment Protection and Governance Committee, Government of India.

• Bimal Patel has written and edited many books, research papers and articles in the field of international law and global governance.

• He has delivered lectures at prestigious institutions including, Cambridge University, UK, Hague Academy of International Law, the Netherlands, Institute of Social Studies, the Netherlands, Erasmus University of Rotterdam School of Law, the Netherlands, University of Oslo, Norway, University of Rome, Rome, University of Auckland, New Zealand, University of New South Wales, Sydney.

• Patel was also invited to speak at the World Ocean Science Congress. In addition, he served on important committee, including panels for the selection of the RBI Governor and SEBI Chairman, and is a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board.