Indian lawyer Dr Neeru Chadha will be the first Indian woman to be a judge at the International Tribunal law of the Sea (ITlOS) following her election to the international body on Wednesday. She will have a nine-year term at ITlOS from 2017 to 2026.
“India’s Dr Neeru Chadha records handsome victory. First Indian woman to be elected to International Tribunal for the law of the Seas,” India’s representative at the Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.
There are many more firsts that are attached to Chadha after her win at the UN Headquarters in New York. She will be the second woman to be a judge of ITlOS in its two decades of existence, where there have been a total of 40 judges, the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations said in a statement. She also becomes only the second woman to hold a high-ranking position at the United Nations for India after Vijaya laxmi Pandit.
Chadha was the first woman Chief legal Advisor to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and has advised the Government on diverse issues relating to the law of the sea involving interpretation of various provisions of the UNClOS including determining the extent of coastal state’s jurisdiction in different maritime zones, maritime delimitation with neighbouring states and legal issues relating to submissions on extended continental shelf.
While hailing Chadha’s win, MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a tweet that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj congratulated Chadha on her election. “Indian expertise on ITlOS stage! Neeru Chadha elected as 1st woman on Int’l Tribunal 4 law of Seas w/most votes in Asia Pacific Group,” Baglay said.
ITlOS is the top UN body which adjudicates international cases related to the law of the seas. Chadha got 120 votes, the highest in the Asia Pacific group and was elected in the first round of voting itself in an election held on June 14. Currently, former judge P Chandrasekhara Rao is representing India at the tribunal whose term expires in September 2017. He was elected member of the tribunal in 1996.
“It reflects both an appreciation of India’s global standing in matters of international law and the recognition for Chadha’s expertise as a lawyer and negotiator on contemporary issues related to the law of the Seas,” Akbaruddin said after Chadha’s victory.
“Many congratulations to Ms. #NeeruChadha for this accomplishment. She is an example of true grit and dedication,” Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi tweeted.
Chadha has extensive international arbitration and litigation experience, having served as an agent for the Indian Government in its maritime delimitation case with Bangladesh. She was also India’s agent for the case filed by Italy in ITlOS involving two Italian marines accused of shooting two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala in 2012. She also served as an agent before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case on the Obligations concerning Negotiations relating to cessation of nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament with Marshall Islands. She has represented the Indian government in various other multilateral meetings and conferences.