Jammu Court Demands Police Report on Alleged ₹550-Crore Vaishno Devi Silver Scam
A court in Jammu has issued an order to the Katra police, mandating the submission of a comprehensive enquiry report concerning serious allegations of ‘adulteration’, pilferage, and misappropriation of approximately 20 tonnes of silver offerings at the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. The reported value of the silver in question is estimated at around ₹550 crore.
The legal proceedings, triggered by the case Deepak Sharma, Advocate V/s Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Jammu, bring to light a significant issue involving the shrine board. According to reports by NDTV, in May, the shrine board sent roughly 20 tonnes of silver offerings to a government mint for the purpose of standardized melting and storage. However, it was discovered during this process that the silver was largely counterfeit, with only 5% of the 20 tonnes being identified as genuine silver.
On July 29, Chief Judicial Magistrate Munish Kumar Manhas directed the police to undertake necessary actions based on an application that demands immediate preservation of all physical, documentary, and electronic evidence related to the case. The court specifically tasked the Deputy Superintendent of Police at Bhawan in Katra with the responsibility of filing a detailed report on the ongoing enquiry.
The complaint prompting this judicial directive was filed by advocate Deepak Sharma. He sought a status report or action-taken report following his previous complaint to the Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Jammu, and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch (Economic Offences Wing), Jammu.
According to an initial status report presented to the court, the complaint was routed through Crime Headquarters in J&K. It received approval for referral to the Zonal Police Headquarters in Jammu, which subsequently forwarded it to the Inspector General of Police of the Jammu Zone. The case was finally assigned to the SSP of Reasi and then entrusted to the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Katra for further enquiry.
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As the report suggests, the investigation is currently in the preliminary enquiry stage, and no First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged as yet. The court has scheduled the next hearing for this matter on August 18, where further developments are awaited.
