The Indian Maritime University Act, 2008

(1) This Act may be called the Indian Maritime University Act,2008. (2) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in theOfficial Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, and 1[in the Statutes made thereunder], unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "Academic Council" means the Academic Council of the University; (b) "academic staff" means such categories of staff as are designated as academic staff by theOrdinances; (c) "Board of Affiliation and Recognition" means Board of Affiliation and Recognition of theUniversity; (d) "Board of Studies" means the Board of Studies of the University; (e) "Campus" means the unit established or constituted by the University for makingarrangements for instruction, research, education and training; (f) "Certificate of Competency" means a certificate issued by the competent authority under theMerchant Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958); (g) "Chancellor", "Vice-Chancellor" and "Pro-Vice-Chancellor" mean, respectively, theChancellor, Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University; (h) "College" means a college maintained by or admitted to the privileges of the University forimparting education and training in maritime studies or in its associated disciplines; (i) "Court" means the Court of the University; (j) "Department" means a Department of Studies; and includes a Centre of Studies; (k) "Director-General" means the Director-General of Shipping appointed by the Government ofIndia under section 7 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958); (l) "Distance Education System" means the system of imparting education through any means ofcommunication, such as broadcasting, telecasting, correspondence courses, seminars, contactprogrammes, e-learning or the combination of any two or more such means; (m) "Employee" means any person appointed by the University and includes teachers and otherstaff including deputationists of the University; (n) "Executive Council" means the Executive Council of the University; (o) "Finance Committee" means the Finance Committee of the University; (p) "Governing Body" in relation to a college or an institution, means the Governing Body or anyother body, by whatever name called, charged with the management of the affairs of such college orinstitution, as the case may be, and recognised as such by the University; (q) "Hall" means a unit of residence for the students of the University, or of a College or anInstitution, maintained by the University; (r) "Institution" means an institution, school, college or centre of studies maintained by oradmitted to the privileges of the University for imparting education and training in maritime studiesor in its associated disciplines; (s) "Notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette; (t) "Off-shore Campus" means an institution, college, centre, school or campus of the University,that could be established outside the country; (u) "Planning Board" means the Planning Board of the University; (v) "Principal" means the head of a college or an institution; (w) "Recognised Institution" means an institution admitted to the privileges of the University forimparting education in maritime studies or its associated disciplines; (x) "Recognised teachers" means such persons as are recognised by the University for the purposeof imparting instructions in a college or an institution admitted to the privileges of the University; (y) "School" means a School of Studies of the University; (z) "Statutes", Ordinances and Regulations mean, respectively, the Statutes, the Ordinancesand the Regulations made under this Act; (za) "University" means the Indian Maritime University established under this Act; (zb) "teachers of the University" means Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors,Readers, Senior Lecturers, Lecturers and such other persons as may be appointed for impartinginstruction or conducting research in the University or in any college or institution maintained by theUniversity; and (zc) "University Grants Commission" means the commission established under section 4 of theUniversity Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956).

(1) There shall be established a University by the name of Indian MaritimeUniversity. (2) The headquarters of the University shall be at Chennai with its campuses at Mumbai, Kolkata,Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and such other places within its jurisdiction as it may deem fit. (3) The first Chancellor, the first Vice-Chancellor, the first members of the Court, the ExecutiveCouncil, the Academic Council, the Planning Board and all persons who may hereafter become suchofficers or members, so long as they continue to hold such office or membership, shall constitute theUniversity. (4) The University shall have perpetual succession and a common seal and shall sue and be sued bythe said name. (5) The University shall be both, a teaching and an affiliating University.

The objects of the University shall be,-- (i) to facilitate and promote maritime studies, training, research and extension work with focus onemerging areas of studies like oceanography, maritime history, maritime laws, maritime security,search and rescue, transportation of dangerous cargo, environmental studies and other related fields,and also to achieve excellence in these and connected fields and other matters connected therewith orincidental thereto; (ii) to promote advanced knowledge by providing institutional and research facilities in suchbranches of learning as it may deem fit and to make provisions for integrated courses in Science andother key and frontier areas of Technology and allied disciplines in the educational programmes ofthe University; (iii) to take appropriate measures for promoting innovations in teaching-learning process, interdisciplinarystudies and research; and to pay special attention to the promotion of educational andeconomic interests and welfare of the people of India; (iv) to promote freedom, secularism, equality and social justice as enshrined in the Constitution ofIndia and to act as catalyst in socio-economic transformation by promoting basic attitudes and valuesof essence to national development; and (v) to extend the benefits of knowledge and skills for development of individuals and society byassociating the University closely with local, regional and national issues of development.

The University shall have the following powers, namely:-- (i) to provide for instruction in such branches of learning as the University may, from time totime, determine and to make provision for research and for the advancement and dissemination ofknowledge; (ii) to make provision for recognised institutions to undertake special studies; (iii) to establish and maintain campuses, colleges, institutions, departments, laboratories, libraries,museums, centres of research, training and specialised studies; (iv) to establish and maintain hostels, health centres and other related facilities like auditoria,playgrounds, gymnasiums, swimming pools, training ships; (v) to provide for establishment of campuses for serving a group of recognised colleges and toprovide for and maintain common resource centres in such campuses in the form of libraries,laboratories, computer centres and the like centres of learning; (vi) to grant, subject to such conditions as the University may determine, diplomas for certificatesother than Certificates of Competencies of Sea-farers, which shall continue to be issued by DirectorGeneralof Shipping, Government of India till the Central Government otherwise decides, and conferdegrees and other academic distinctions on the basis of examinations, evaluation or any other methodof testing on persons, and to withdraw any such diplomas, certificates, degrees or other academicdistinctions for good and sufficient cause; (vii) to confer honorary degrees or other distinctions in the manner prescribed by the Statutes; (viii) to organise and to undertake extra-mural studies, training and extension services; (ix) to institute Directorships, Principalships, Professorships, Associate Professorships, AssistantProfessorships and other teaching or academic positions, required by the University and to appointpersons to such Principalships, Professorships, Associate Professorships, Assistant Professorships oracademic positions; (x) to provide for the terms and conditions of service of-- (i) Directors, Principals and teachers and other members of the academic staff appointed bythe University; (ii) teachers and other members of the academic staff appointed by any college or institution;and (iii) any other employee of recognised college or institution, whether appointed by theUniversity or such college or institution; (xi) to appoint persons working in any other University or organisation as teachers of theUniversity for a specified period; (xii) to recognise an institution of higher learning for such purposes as the University maydetermine and to withdraw such recognition; (xiii) to organise and conduct refresher courses, workshops, seminars and other programmes forteachers, evaluators and other academic staff; (xiv) to appoint on contract or otherwise visiting Professors, Emeritus Professors, Consultants,Scholars and such other persons who may contribute to the advancement of the objects of theUniversity; (xv) to create teaching, non-teaching, administrative, ministerial and other posts in the Universityand to make appointments thereto; (xvi) to co-operate or collaborate or associate with any other University or authority or institutionof higher learning within India or abroad, in such manner and for such purposes as the Universitymay determine; (xvii) to approve appointment of persons for imparting instructions in any institution admitted tothe privileges of the University and to withdraw such approval; (xviii) to inspect recognised institutions through suitable machinery established for the purpose,and to take measures to ensure that proper standards of instruction, teaching and training aremaintained by them, and adequate library, laboratory, hospital, workshop and other academicfacilities are provided for; (xix) to prescribe fees and other charges to be levied on the students of self-financing colleges andinstitutions; (xx) to coordinate the work of different colleges and institutions working in the same and similarareas; (xxi) to set up central facilities like computer centre, training centre, instrumentation centre,library, simulators; (xxii) to set up curriculum development centres for different subjects; (xxiii) to admit to its privileges colleges and institutions, not maintained by the University, and towithdraw all or any of those privileges in accordance with such conditions as may be prescribed bythe Statutes; (xxiv) to recognise guide, supervise and control Halls not maintained by the University and otheraccommodation for students, and to withdraw any such recognition; (xxv) to make provision for research and advisory services and for that purpose, to enter into sucharrangements with other institutions or bodies as the University may deem necessary; (xxvi) to prescribe fees for recognising of colleges and institutions; (xxvii) to determine standards of admission to the University which may include examination,evaluation or any other method of testing; (xxviii) to institute and award fellowships, scholarships, studentships, assistantships, medals andprizes; (xxix) to demand and receive payment of fees and other charges; (xxx) to supervise the residences of the students of the University and to make arrangements forpromoting their health and general welfare; (xxxi) to make such special arrangements in respect of women students as the University mayconsider desirable; (xxxii) to regulate the conduct of the students of the University and of colleges and institutions; (xxxiii) to control and regulate admission of students for various courses of study in Departments,recognised institutions, schools and centres of studies; (xxxiv) to regulate the work and conduct of the employees of the University and of the employeesof the colleges and institutions; (xxxv) to regulate and enforce discipline among the employees and students of the University andto take such disciplinary measures in this regard as may be deemed necessary; (xxxvi) to prescribe code of conduct for managements of recognised colleges and institutions; (xxxvii) to make arrangements for promoting the health and general welfare of the employees ofthe University and those of colleges and institutions; (xxxviii) to receive benefactions, donations and gifts from persons and to name after them suchchairs, institutions, buildings and the like, the University may determine, whose gift or donation tothe University is worth such amount as the University may decide; (xxxix) to acquire, hold, manage and dispose of any property, movable or immovable, includingtrust and endowment properties for the purposes of the University; (xl) to borrow, with the approval of the Central Government, on the security of the property of theUniversity, money for the purposes of the University; (xli) to assess needs of the students in terms of subjects, fields of specialisation, levels ofeducation and training of technical manpower, both on short and long term basis, and to initiatenecessary programmes to meet these needs; (xlii) to initiate measures to enlist the co-operation of the industry to provide complementaryfacilities; (xliii) to provide for instruction through "distance learning" and "open approach" and for mobilityof students from the non-formal open learning stream to the formal stream and vice versa; (xliv) to establish such campuses, special centres, specialised laboratories or other units forresearch and instruction as are, in the opinion of the University, necessary for the furtherance of itsobjective; (xlv) to confer autonomous status on a college or an institution or a Department, as the case maybe, in accordance with the Statutes; (xlvi) to arrange for the training to upgrade maritime standard of the employees of the industryand institutes and to levy fees for such training as prescribed by the Statutes; (xlvii) to establish Off-shore Campus at any place outside the Country as and when it isconsidered necessary for advancing the aims and objectives of the University; and (xlviii) to do all such other acts and things as may be necessary, incidental or conducive to theattainment of all or any of its objects.