Hyderabad: Dr Pemmaraju Srinivasa Rao, one of the leading figures in international law, passed away in Hyderabad on Monday.

Dr Rao earned his BA in Law from Andhra University and later obtained his PhD in Law from Yale University.

Born in 1942, Dr Rao was a distinguished Indian international lawyer. He headed the Legal and Treaties Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, India, serving as the chief legal advisor on international law matters from 1985 to 2002.

Dr Rao was a member of the International Law Commission from 1987 to 2006 and was elected as its chairman in 1995. He served as an arbitrator at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Enrica Lexie incident between Italy and India from December 2018 to May 2020.

Following his retirement, he served as a Senior Adviser for the State of Qatar before the International Court of Justice. He also acted as a judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the case concerning the maritime boundary dispute between India and Bangladesh (2010-2014).

Dr Rao was a Judge Ad Hoc at the International Court of Justice in the case concerning sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore) from 2004 to 2008. Additionally, he served as a Governing Board Member of the Asian Society of International Law, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

He was a Fellow for post-doctoral research in the Marine Policy Programme at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (September 1972-November 1974) and at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C. (January 1971-June 1972).

Dr Rao also served as a visiting professor and Director of the Justice Jeevan Reddy Centre for International Trade and Business at NALSAR University, Hyderabad. Dr Pemmaraju Srinivasa Rao is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.