Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The alleged Rs 550 crore “fake silver” controversy involving offerings at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine has entered a critical phase, with police informing the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Jammu that statements of certain senior Shrine Board officials, considered essential to a comprehensive enquiry, are yet to be recorded even as the probe stretches past the four-month mark. The disclosure came in a status report filed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bhawan, before the court on September 19, with the matter now listed for further hearing on October 10.
The controversy centres on a complaint filed by Advocate Deepak Sharma seeking registration of an FIR and a fair, comprehensive and scientific investigation into alleged adulteration, substitution, pilferage and possible misappropriation of approximately 20 tonnes of silver offerings made by devotees at the shrine, valued at around Rs 550 crore. During the hearing, Sharma appeared in person while the Assistant Public Prosecutor placed the DySP’s report on record, which the court examined before granting further time for the enquiry to proceed.
According to the status report, statements of Shrine Board officials, pujaris, CRPF personnel deployed at Bhawan, Jammu and Kashmir Police officials and Shrine Board security personnel connected with the handling of the offerings have already been recorded, establishing the procedure followed for collection, segregation and storage of the metal in the Strong Room at Bhawan. However, the report explicitly notes that certain senior officials whose examination is considered necessary for a thorough enquiry remain to be questioned.
Police told the court that correspondence had been sent to the Joint Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Bhawan seeking preservation and production of CCTV footage covering the entire process, from collection and storage through transportation from Bhawan to Katra. Investigators also sought Standard Operating Procedures, governing rules and Indian Government Mint records. Material received on August 18 in response comprised 116 pages of orders, SOPs and procedural records, alongside a substantial volume of CCTV and electronic data that police said requires detailed, systematic examination to identify relevant events, persons and sequences before being correlated with witness statements.
Notably, despite the complaint being under examination for more than four months, the status report does not disclose registration of an FIR. Advocate Sharma said the report marks progress but confirms the enquiry remains incomplete, stressing that senior officials responsible for supervision, custody, transportation, accounting and institutional decision-making must be examined so that responsibility, if any, is established from the highest to the operational level. He added that the original physical material, samples, CCTV footage, electronic records, Mint documents and chain-of-custody material must be protected against alteration or destruction, and said the pending plea for FIR registration would continue to be pursued before the competent court.
