In force · As amended up to 2026-08
CHAPTER XVI
OFFENCES AND PENALTIES
87. Offences and penalties.— (1) Whoever, contravenes any of the provisions of this Act, shall be punishable with penalty as mentioned in the third column of the Table provided in sub-section (2).
(2) The classification of offences for contravention of the provisions of this Act and the corresponding penalties therefor shall be as provided in the following Table, namely:—
Section Offence Penalty (1) (2) (3) 8 Any owner, operator or construction yard, Fine which may extend to ten thousand found guilty of construction, alteration or rupees for every non-compliance found. modification of mechanically propelled inland vessel in contravention of section 8. 14 (1) Owner, operator or master of any Fine which may extend to ten thousand mechanically propelled inland vessel, using rupees for the first offence and twentysuch vessel, without a valid certificate of five thousand rupees for subsequent survey has acted in contravention of offences. sub-section (1) of section 14.
|Section|Offence|Penalty|
|---|---|---|
|(1)|(2)|(3)|
|18 (1)|Owner,<br>operator<br>or<br>master<br>of<br>any|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||mechanically<br>propelled<br>inland<br>vessel|rupees for the first offence and fifty|
||proceeding<br>on<br>any<br>voyage<br>or<br>use<br>a|thousand rupees for subsequent offences.|
||mechanically propelled inland vessel required||
||to be registered, for any service, without a||
||valid certificate of registration and in||
||contravention of sub-section (1) of section 18.||
|19 (1)|Owner or master who does not carry a valid|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||certificate of registration or not making the|rupees for every non-compliance found.|
||same available for inspection, has acted in||
||contravention of sub-section (1) of section 19.||
|24 (3)|Owner not displaying the official number on|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||the conspicuous part of a vessel has acted in|rupees.|
||contravention of sub-section (3) of section 24.||
|27|Owner, operator or any person responsible for|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||the operation of the vessel, has acted in|rupees for the first offence and twenty-|
||contravention of section 27.|five thousand rupees for subsequent|
|||offences.|
|28 (2)|Owner,<br>operator<br>or<br>master<br>of<br>any|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||mechanically propelled inland vessel not|rupees for the first offence and twenty-|
||registering the details of alterations that are|five thousand rupees for subsequent|
||mandated to be registered as specified in sub-|offences.|
||section (2) of section 28.||
|29|Owner or operator of any mechanically|Fine which may extend to five hundred|
||propelled inland vessel, who does not comply|rupees for every day of non-compliance.|
||with the requirements or has acted in||
||contravention of section 29.||
|30|Owner of any mechanically propelled inland|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||vessel,<br>has<br>acted<br>in<br>contravention<br>of|<br>rupees per day or imprisonment which|
||section 30.|may extend to one year, or with both.|
|32 (1)|Owner of any mechanically propelled inland|Fine which may extend to five thousand|
||vessel, has acted in contravention of sub-|rupees for every day of non-compliance.|
||section (1) of section 32.||
|34 (2)|Owner or operator on whose vessel, persons|Fine which may extend to five thousand|
||under the age of eighteen years are employed,|rupees for every day of non-compliance|
||has acted in contravention of sub-section (2)|or imprisonment not exceeding six|
||of section 34.|months, or with both.|
|35|Owner or operator of any mechanically|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||propelled inland vessel without complying|rupees for the first offence and twenty-|
||with the specified minimum manning scale|five thousand rupees for subsequent|
||has acted in contravention to section 35.|offences.|
|40 (1) and|The holders of certificate of competency, has|Fine up to five thousand rupees per day|
|(4)|acted in contravention to the provisions of this|or imprisonment extending up to six|
||Act or not surrendered the suspended,|months, or with both.|
||cancelled or varied certificate issued under||
||non-submission of suspended or cancelled||
||certificates.||
|Section|Offence||Penalty|
|---|---|---|---|
|(1)|(2)||(3)|
|44|Owner or operator or any person responsible|Fine which may|extend to ten thousand|
||for the operation of special category vessel,|rupees for every|day of non-compliance|
||which does not comply with the provisions of|or imprisonment extending up to six||
||Chapter VII.|months, or with both.||
|47|Owner,<br>operator<br>or<br>master<br>of<br>any|Fine which may|extend to ten thousand|
||mechanically propelled vessel registered,|rupees for the first offence and twenty-||
||recognised or identified under this Act, for not|five thousand rupees for subsequent||
||equipping the vessels or exhibiting the lights|offences.||
||and signals specified under Chapter VIII.|||
|48|Owner, operator or master not ensuring safe|Fine which may extend to twenty-five||
||navigation or causing damage due to non-|thousand rupees.||
||observance of regulations.|||
|49 and|Owner,<br>operator<br>or<br>master<br>of<br>any|Fine which may|extend to ten thousand|
|50 (1)|mechanically propelled vessel plying in inland|rupees.||
||waters abstaining from proceeding to render|||
||assistance after answering to the distress|||
||signal.|||
|51 (2)|The owner, operator or master of any|Fine which may extend up to fifty||
||mechanically<br>propelled<br>inland<br>vessel|thousand rupees.||
||proceeding to conduct any voyage without|||
||complying<br>with<br>the<br>requirements<br>of|||
||navigation aids, life-saving appliances, fire|||
||detection and extinguishing appliances and|||
||communication appliances as specified under|||
||sub-section (2) of section 51.|||
|52 (2) and|The owner, operator or master of any|Fine which may|extend to fifty thousand|
|(3)|mechanically<br>propelled<br>vessel<br>causing|rupees.||
||pollution by discharging or dumping of|||
||pollutants in inland waters.|||
|53 (4)|The owner, operator or master of any|Fine which may extend to twenty-five||
||mechanically propelled vessel, who are|thousand rupees.||
||required under this Act to possess a valid|||
||prevention of pollution certificate, plying or|||
||using the vessel without the said valid|||
||certificate.|||
|54 (2) and|The owner or operator of any reception|Fine which may|extend to fifty thousand|
|(5)|facility who does not comply with the|rupees.||
||standards and obligations stipulated.|||
|55 (4)|The owner or operator of the terminal who|Fine which may|extend to ten thousand|
||operates without complying with the notice|rupees per day of non-compliance||
||issued under sub-section (4) of section 55.|beyond period of notice.||
|57|Any owner, operator or any person who|Fine amounting|to fifty thousand rupees|
||intentionally cause wreck within inland|and imprisonment which may extend to||
||waters.|three years.||
|58 (2)|Any person who is guilty of offence|Fine which may|extend to ten thousand|
||committed by contravention of sub-section (2)|rupees.||
||of section 58.|||
|Section|Offence|Penalty|
|---|---|---|
|(1)|(2)|(3)|
|66|Any owner or master plying any mechanically|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||propelled inland vessel without a valid|rupees and detention of the vessel till|
||insurance as provided under section 66.|certificate of insurance is procured.|
|74 (2)|The owner, operator or master of any|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||mechanically propelled inland vessel not|rupees.|
||complying with sub-section (2) of section 74.||
|79 (2)|Any person who holds a certificate issued|Fine which may extend to ten thousand|
||under Chapter VI and fails to surrender|rupees for every day of non-submission.|
||suspended or cancelled certificates.||
|80|Any person, in the capacity of a service|Fine which may extend to fifty thousand|
||provider or a service user, who acts in|rupees.|
||contravention of section 80.||
|82|Master or operator of any foreign vessels|Fine which may extend to fifty thousand|
||acting in contravention of sub-section (1) of|rupees or imprisonment which may|
||section 82.|extend to one year, or with both.|
|83|Owner, operator or master of mechanically|Fine which may extend to fifty thousand|
||propelled inland vessel, who does not comply|rupees or imprisonment which may|
||with<br>the<br>requirement<br>of<br>pilotage<br>in|extend to three years, or with both.|
||contravention of section 83.||
|97|Any person employed on inland vessel for|Forfeiture of a sum not exceeding two|
||neglect or refusal to join or desertion of vessel|days' pay, and in addition for every|
||in violation of his obligation as provided|twenty-four hours of absence, either a|
||under section 97.|sum not exceeding six days' pay or any|
|||expenses properly incurred in hiring a|
|||substitute, from his wages and also to|
|||imprisonment which may extend to two|
|||months.|
|102|Any<br>person<br>found<br>guilty<br>of<br>causing|Fine which may extend to fifty thousand|
||obstruction or has acted in contravention of|rupees or imprisonment which may|
||section 102.|extend to three years, or with both.|
(3) Any person who acts in contravention of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder, but for which an offence is not specifically provided in this Act, shall be punishable with fine not exceeding three lakh rupees or with imprisonment up to a term which may extend to three years, or with both.
(4) Where the owner or master of any mechanically propelled inland vessel is convicted of an offence under this Act or any rule made thereunder, committed on board, or in relation to that mechanically propelled vessel, and is sentenced to pay a fine, the Magistrate who passes the sentence may direct the amount of the fine to be levied by distress and sale of the mechanically propelled vessel, or its appurtenance so much thereof as is necessary.
(5) Where an inland vessel has been used in contravention of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder, the details of the offence, the offender and the vessel shall be recorded in such form and manner, as may be specified by the Central Government by notification.
(6) The State Government shall appoint courts not inferior to that of a Magistrate of the first class, for the purpose of conducting trial of any person who is charged of any offence as provided under this Act or the rules made thereunder.
Source: India Code