J&K Court Seeks Records in ₹550 Crore ‘Fake Silver’ Offerings Row at Vaishno Devi Shrine
A Jammu court has intensified scrutiny into the alleged ₹550 crore “fake silver” offerings controversy linked to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, directing the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch to produce all relevant records in the case. The order came from the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court while hearing a petition seeking registration of an FIR over the alleged substitution, adulteration and misappropriation of silver offerings made by devotees.
The controversy surfaced after nearly 20 tonnes of silver offerings collected by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board were sent to a government mint for testing, melting and storage. According to assay reports, only around five per cent of the metal was found to be genuine silver, while the remaining material largely comprised cadmium and iron. The estimated value of the offerings reportedly plunged from nearly ₹550 crore to about ₹30 crore following the tests.
Advocate Deepak Sharma, who filed the complaint before the Crime Branch, has alleged a criminal conspiracy involving cheating, criminal breach of trust, manipulation of official records and possible substitution of genuine offerings. He argued that devotees could not reasonably be expected to knowingly offer counterfeit silver at one of the country’s most revered pilgrimage sites, raising suspicion that genuine offerings may have been replaced or diverted.
The Crime Branch informed the court that the complaint had been forwarded to higher authorities for approval and further action. However, the petitioner contended that the Economic Offences Wing was legally bound to register an FIR if the complaint disclosed cognizable offences, rather than merely forwarding the matter administratively.
Taking note of the submissions, the Chief Judicial Magistrate directed the Inquiry Officer of the Crime Branch to appear personally before the court on July 29 along with the complete investigation records. The petitioner has also sought preservation of CCTV footage, transportation logs, storage records, assay reports and all electronic evidence relating to the collection, handling and testing of the silver offerings.
The issue had first come to light earlier this year when the government mint reportedly alerted authorities about unusually high levels of cadmium—a toxic metal prohibited in many consumer products—and iron in the offerings. Mint officials are said to have warned that the adulterated material posed both financial and public health concerns, while also indicating that no comparable contamination had been reported from several other major temple trusts across the country.
The court’s latest direction does not determine criminal liability but marks a significant procedural step in ensuring that all records are placed before the judiciary. The outcome of the proceedings could shape the course of a wider investigation into whether devotees were sold counterfeit silver articles or whether genuine offerings were allegedly tampered with after being deposited at the shrine.
