Jammu court seeks inquiry report in alleged Vaishno Devi ‘fake silver’ case

A Jammu court sought a detailed inquiry report into the alleged Rs 500 crore 'fake silver' case linked to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. It also directed authorities to preserve physical, documentary and electronic evidence pending further proceedings

Jammu: A court here has sought a detailed inquiry report into the alleged Rs 500 crore ‘fake silver’ matter linked to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, while directing authorities to act on an application seeking preservation of evidence.

Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jammu, Munish Kumar Manhas passed the directions on July 29 while hearing an application filed by advocate Deepak Sharma seeking immediate preservation of the physical, documentary and electronic evidence connected with the case.

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Sharma had earlier submitted a complaint to the Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Jammu, and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, Economic Offences Wing, Jammu, on May 9, alleging adulteration, substitution, pilferage and possible misappropriation of approximately 20 tonnes of silver offerings made by devotees at the shrine. He had valued the offering at around Rs 550 crore.

Taking the application on record, the CJM directed the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mata Vaisho Devi Bhawan, to take appropriate action regarding the facts stated in the evidence-preservation plea and to submit a detailed report regarding the enquiry being conducted by him on the next date of hearing on August 18.

The application before the court sought preservation of the remaining silver or purported silver articles, samples, remnants and residues, along with stock and vault records, weighing and dispatch registers, assay and laboratory reports, transportation documents and the complete chain-of-custody record.

It also sought protection of CCTV footage, electronic inventory data, official emails, server logs, access records, audit trails, accounting records, reconciliation statements and other digital evidence connected with the alleged transactions.

It was submitted that any further melting, refining, transfer or processing of the physical material or deletion or overwriting of electronic records could irreversibly affect the identity, composition, weight, purity and chain of custody of the evidence.

Sharma had also challenged the Crime Branch’s action-taken report in the court, contending that it neither disclosed registration of an FIR nor detailed any meaningful investigation into allegations involving silver offerings by the devotees at the shrine.

According to the report placed before the court by the SSP, Crime Branch (EOW), Jammu, the complaint was received on May 11 and forwarded to crime headquarters on May 20 for approval regarding the further course of action.

Crime headquarters approved its reference to the zonal police headquarters, Jammu, on June 9, following which it was forwarded to the Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, on June 13. The matter was subsequently referred to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Reasi, for enquiry and was ultimately entrusted to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bhawan, Katra.

The report, however, did not disclose registration of any FIR and indicated that the matter remained at the inquiry stage. Welcoming the CJM’s order, Sharma said, “The order brings both the pending enquiry and the preservation of potentially crucial evidence under direct judicial scrutiny. My immediate concern is to ensure that no physical, documentary or electronic evidence is altered, melted, transferred, destroyed, deleted or overwritten”.