Vesting of Maritime Resources, Territorial Waters, and EEZ in the Union
Official heading: “Things of value within territorial waters or continental shelf and resources of the exclusive economic zone to vest in the Union”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part XII, Article 297, printed pages 173–174
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1. In One Sentence
Vests all lands, minerals, and valuable maritime resources within India’s territorial waters, continental shelf, and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) exclusively in the Union.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 297 secures sovereign national ownership over India’s offshore maritime wealth.
Clause (1) provides that all lands, minerals, and other things of value underlying the ocean within the territorial waters, the continental shelf, or the exclusive economic zone of India vest exclusively in the Union of India and are held for the purposes of the Union.
Clause (2) adds that all other living and non-living resources of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) also vest in the Union.
Under clause (3), the limits of the territorial waters, the continental shelf, the exclusive economic zone, and other maritime zones of India are defined from time to time by or under any law made by Parliament (enacted primarily through the Maritime Zones Act, 1976).
Coastal States (like Maharashtra, Gujarat, or Kerala) have no sovereign ownership over offshore crude oil, natural gas, or subsea mineral deposits; all offshore natural resources belong exclusively to the nation.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
Massive offshore natural gas and petroleum reserves are discovered 50 nautical miles off the coast of Andhra Pradesh or Mumbai.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 297 establishes complete federal sovereignty over maritime zones and offshore wealth.
- Exclusive Union vesting: Subsoil minerals, oil, gas, and EEZ resources belong entirely to the Union.
- Three maritime zones: Encompasses territorial waters (12 NM), continental shelf, and EEZ (200 NM).
- Parliamentary delimitation: The boundaries of maritime zones are determined by parliamentary legislation.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XII, Article 297, printed pages 173–174 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.