CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Directed General of Shipping (DGS) in Mumbai and other connected authorities to file counter-affidavits on a writ petition seeking to quash an order of the DGS dated June 30, 2011, which introduced a common entrance test (CET) for admission to general purpose rating course and authorised the Board of Examination of Seafarers Trust (BEST) in Mumbai to conduct the test.Justice S Rajeswaran ordered the notice on a writ petition from Maritime Institutes Association, by its secretary C V Jyothikumar of T Nagar. The petitioner’s interim prayer was to stay the operation of the notification. The GP rating course covered cleaning of ship machinery and painting works. The petitioner contended that BEST was functioning without any legally valid appointment letter from the DGS since 2005. In 2007, the appointment letter was given for holding inspections. However, instead of holding inspection, BEST conducted exit exams. During the last five years, it had conducted the exams and issued certificates to about 40,000 candidates without the logo of India. For this, it had collected about `10 crore, but it was not remitted to the Union government under the Consolidated Funds of India, as per a notification of the Finance Ministry. The appointment of the Board expired on March 31 this year. But the board was conducting the examination without any renewal from the President of India.
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