Firm issuing BIS Hallmark spuriously raided

Gold, silver jewellery and laser marking machine used for making the spurious mark seized

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) officials conducted a search and seizure operation at Miryalaguda, Nalgonda district to check the misuse of BIS Hallmark on gold jewellery and found that SS Hallmark Centre was found to be misusing the label without obtaining any necessary permissions. Gold jewellery, silver jewellery and other goods regarding spurious BIS Hallmark were seized during the operation recently along with the laser marking machine used for making the spurious mark. BIS Hyderabad Head K.V. Rao informed that the department of consumer affairs has mandated that the gold jewellery and gold artefacts should bear ‘BIS Hallmark’ from June 16 this year onwards and a system of laser marking of six-digit hallmarking unique ID on each jewellery along with BIS logo and purity mark was introduced. Hallmarked jewellery can be sold only by jewellers registered with BIS and can be hallmarked only by BIS recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centres (AHCs). Misuse of BIS standard mark, including hallmark without a recognition is a violation under and is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to two years or with fine which shall not be less than ₹2 lakh.