The alleged Rs 550-crore "fake silver" offerings controversy at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Shrine has entered a crucial stage of judicial scrutiny, with the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jammu, directing the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), Bhawan, Katra, to submit a detailed enquiry report and take appropriate action regarding the facts stated in an application seeking urgent preservation of evidence.
The directions were passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate Munish Kumar Manhas, and the matter has been listed for further proceedings on August 18.
The proceedings arise from an application filed by Advocate Deepak Sharma following his complaint concerning the alleged adulteration, substitution, pilferage and possible misappropriation of approximately 20 tonnes of silver offerings made by devotees at the revered shrine, reportedly valued at around Rs 550 crore.
Sharma originally submitted the complaint to the Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Jammu, and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Jammu, on May 9, 2026.
According to the report placed before the court by the SSP, Crime Branch (EOW), Jammu, the Crime Branch received the complaint on May 11 and forwarded it to Crime Headquarters on May 20 for approval regarding the further course of action. Crime Headquarters approved its referral to the Zonal Police Headquarters, Jammu, on June 9, following which it was forwarded to the Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, on June 13.
The matter was subsequently referred to the senior superintendent of Police, Reasi, for enquiry and was ultimately entrusted to the DySP, Bhawan, Katra. The report did not disclose the registration of any FIR and indicated that the matter remained at the enquiry stage.
During the July 29 hearing, Sharma filed a detailed application seeking the immediate preservation of the physical, documentary and electronic evidence connected with the alleged transactions.
The application sought the preservation of the remaining silver or purported silver articles, samples, remnants and residues, along with stock and vault records, weighing and dispatch registers, assay and laboratory reports, Government Mint records, transportation documents, and the complete chain-of-custody record.
It also sought the protection of CCTV footage, electronic inventory data, official emails, server logs, access records, audit trails, accounting records, reconciliation statements and other digital evidence connected with the alleged transactions.
It was submitted that any further melting, refining, transfer or processing of the physical material, or the deletion or overwriting of electronic records, could irreversibly affect the identity, composition, weight, purity and chain of custody of the evidence.
Taking the application on record, the court directed the DySP, Bhawan, to take appropriate action regarding the facts stated in the evidence preservation plea and to submit a detailed report on the enquiry being conducted by him on the next date of hearing.
Commenting on the development, Advocate Deepak Sharma told the International Business Times that the order brings both the pending enquiry and the preservation of potentially crucial evidence under direct judicial scrutiny. "My immediate concern is to ensure that no physical, documentary or electronic evidence is altered, melted, transferred, destroyed, deleted or overwritten," he said.
Background of the Complaint
The controversy arose from reports that approximately 20 tonnes of accumulated silver offerings, stated to be worth around Rs 550 crore, had reportedly been sent for testing, melting and processing. However, only approximately five to six per cent of the material was reportedly found to be actual silver, while the remaining material was allegedly found to be "fake" and consisted of cadmium, iron and other inferior metals.
The complaint seeks an investigation into whether devotees were sold fake or adulterated silver articles by vendors and jewellers, or whether genuine silver offerings were substituted, diluted, pilfered or misappropriated at any stage after their receipt, including during inventory, weighing, storage, transportation, assaying or melting.
The complaint also seeks an investigation into the source, manufacture, procurement and supply chain of the alleged cadmium-laden material, as well as the fixation of responsibility on all persons, officials, custodians, vendors, suppliers, handlers or transporters found to be involved.
