Maritime Zones Act, 1976

Two Italian marines were arrested by Kerala police for killing two Indian fishermen 20.5 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. The Supreme Court earlier held that the State of Kerala lacked jurisdiction and that only the Union of India could investigate and try the marines, pending a determination of the applicability o…

The case arose from an incident on 15 February 2012 when two Italian naval officers aboard the merchant vessel M.V. Enrica Lexie fired on an Indian fishing boat 20.5 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, killing two fishermen. The Kerala police lodged an FIR under the Indian Penal Code and arrested the officers, which t…

The appellants, offshore drilling companies, operated oil rigs in India's designated offshore areas (continental shelf and exclusive economic zone) and sought to import stores for the rigs without customs duty, relying on the exemption for foreign‑going vessels under the Customs Act. The Revenue authorities, citing not…

The State of Kerala issued notifications under the Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980 prohibiting the use of mechanised fishing gears such as purse seine, ring seine, pelagic and mid‑water trawl within its territorial waters. The High Court struck down the ban beyond 10 km as an unreasonable restriction on the …

The Commissioner of Customs ordered the confiscation of a drilling rig owned by Mis Aban Loyd Chiles Offshore Ltd. on the ground that the rig had been brought into Indian territorial waters for repairs without filing a bill of entry, was not declared under Section 46 and was therefore imported for home consumption. The…