GUWAHATI: Officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Guwahati Branch Office, conducted a search and seizure operation at a hallmarking centre in Guwahati's Lakhtokia area after uncovering alleged violations of the BIS Act, 2016.
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The raid was carried out on Thursday, June 18, at the premises of M/s Ganesh Hallmarking Centre, located on Col. J. Ali Road, following a discreet investigation launched on June 3 based on suspected illegal hallmarking activities.
According to BIS, the investigation revealed that the establishment was operating as an unauthorised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC) and was allegedly engaged in the illegal hallmarking of gold jewellery. Officials found that the firm was using a laser marking machine to mark jewellery without authorisation and was issuing spurious gold hallmarks carrying fake BIS logos.
During the operation, BIS officials sealed the laser marking machine being used for the alleged activity and seized the counterfeit hallmarking materials.
Gold jewellery falls under the mandatory hallmarking order notified by the Government of India, making BIS certification and hallmarking compliance compulsory for covered products.
BIS stated that action is being initiated against the establishment under Section 14(6) of the BIS Act, 2016. The offence carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of not less than ₹1 lakh and extending up to five times the value of the goods involved, or both.
Under the BIS Act, testing and marking centres or assaying and hallmarking centres that are not recognised by BIS are prohibited from using, affixing, engraving, embossing, printing or applying the BIS Standard Mark, including hallmarks or any imitation thereof, on notified goods. Such entities are also barred from making any claims regarding BIS certification or hallmarking through advertisements, promotional material or sales literature.
The standards body has appealed to citizens to report instances where mandatory products are being sold without BIS certification or where the ISI Mark or BIS hallmark is being misused.
Complaints may be submitted to the Head of the BIS Guwahati Branch Office at Dispur or through email at ghbo@bis.gov.in, the agency said.