SRINAGAR: A court in Jammu has directed the Inquiry Officer (IO) of the J&K Police Crime Branch to appear in person on July 29 while hearing a petition seeking registration of an FIR and a probe into allegations that over 2,000 kg of silver offerings worth more than Rs 500 crore at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra were found to be fake.
The order was passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Munish Kumar Manhas on a petition filed by Jammu-based advocate Deepak Sharma, who has sought a court-monitored investigation into the alleged replacement or misuse of silver offerings made by devotees.
The court directed the Crime Branch IO to appear with all relevant records on the next date of hearing.
According to the petition, the allegedly fake silver contained highly toxic cadmium, a restricted metal not easily available in the market. Sharma has sought an investigation into whether genuine silver offerings were substituted, pilfered or replaced with cadmium-laden inferior metal during storage, transportation, dispatch or before reaching the government mint.
Sharma told TNIE that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board had reportedly sent around 20 tonnes of silver offerings to a government mint for melting and processing.
He alleged that of the consignment, valued at nearly Rs 550 crore, only silver worth Rs 20-30 crore was found to be genuine, while the remaining silver, worth about Rs 530 crore, allegedly turned out to be fake.
"It is difficult to believe that silver offerings made by lakhs of devotees from across the country could all turn out to be fake. If that is the case, it raises serious questions. Where did the substitution occur? Was it within the Shrine Board, during transit or at the mint?" Sharma said.
He also questioned how such a large quantity of cadmium-laced fake silver could have entered the system.
"Cadmium is a highly restricted metal and not easily available. How could so many people procure it, manufacture fake silver and have it eventually reach the Vaishno Devi shrine?" he asked.
The petition states that Sharma had approached the Crime Branch on May 9, 2026, seeking registration of an FIR into what he described as serious cognisable offences.
"I stressed that it was a time-sensitive investigation as crucial evidence available today might disappear later. Despite that, the Crime Branch took no action," he said.
In his complaint, Sharma sought seizure and preservation of records relating to silver offerings over the last 10 to 15 years, including donation, stock and store registers, weighing records, and CCTV footage from donation counters, weighing stations, strong rooms, storage facilities and dispatch points.
He also sought scrutiny of assaying and processing records maintained by the government mint and an investigation into the possibility of substitution of genuine silver with cadmium-laden material at any stage of handling.
After receiving no response, Sharma approached the court seeking directions for registration of an FIR.
During the hearing, the Crime Branch informed the court that it had forwarded the complaint to another police agency. Sharma argued that the Crime Branch's Economic Offences Wing (EOW), being a police station in law, could not act merely as a forwarding authority.
"It is under a statutory obligation to deal with information disclosing cognisable offences in accordance with the BNSS and the Supreme Court's judgment in the Lalita Kumari case," he argued.
Referring to the Crime Branch's status report stating that the complaint had been referred to ZPHQ Jammu for appropriate action, Sharma submitted that no statutory action had been taken.
He argued that if the Crime Branch had jurisdiction, it was duty-bound to act in accordance with law. If another police agency had jurisdiction, it was still required to follow the procedure prescribed under law rather than merely forwarding the complaint.
The petitioner further argued that no FIR had been registered despite allegations involving possible criminal breach of trust, substitution of valuable religious offerings and potential public health concerns arising from the alleged presence of cadmium.
Sharma told the court that continued delay in registering an FIR could seriously prejudice the investigation and erode public confidence.
"The matter concerns religious offerings made by millions of devotees, alleged misappropriation and substitution of silver worth hundreds of crores, possible use of cadmium-laden material and a breach of public trust. Delay in registration of an FIR and preservation of evidence causes serious prejudice not only to the applicant but also to public faith and the administration of criminal justice," the petition states.
The petitioner has urged the court to reject the Crime Branch's status report and direct the Economic Offences Wing, Jammu, to register an FIR and conduct a full-fledged investigation into the allegations.