The Madras High Court has directed the Director-General of Shipping (DGS) to frame within four months a composite set of regulations to be followed by institutes that offer maritime education across the country.
Justice G. Jayachandran ordered that the regulations should be based on the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers of 1978 and the Merchant Shipping Rules of 2014 and 2017.
The directions were issued while disposing of a batch of writ petitions filed by private institutes that impart maritime education. The petitioners had challenged various circulars issued by DGS with respect to the maritime courses on the ground of jurisdiction.
After hearing all the cases together, the judge held that DGS was the authority vested with absolute power to regulate all training programmes that lead to examinations for grant of certificates in maritime education.
As far as diplomas, degrees and post-graduate diplomas were concerned, the policy of the Centre would bind the institutes that offer those courses as well as the universities to which they were affiliated to, the judge said.
However, the DGS could prescribe minimum eligibility marks for admission in the diploma and degree courses. Any order or regulation issued by DGS should be with the object of enhancing the standard of education and not otherwise, he added.
The judge termed as onerous one of the conditions imposed by DGS requiring maritime education institutes to enter into a memorandum of understanding with shipping companies for providing onboard training to specified number of students and restricting their admissions to that number.
He struck down that condition and directed DGS to come up with composite regulations by next year.
