Photo Courtesy: northeasttoday
Guwahati: Officials from the Bureau of Indian Standards Guwahati branch raided M/s Shree Sainath Jewellery on Thursday. The shop, located at Basistha Chariali on Bakrapara Road, faced scrutiny after authorities received complaints about the unauthorized use of the BIS hallmark and the sale of uncertified gold.
During the inspection, officials discovered that the shop was displaying the BIS hallmark logo on its banners and exterior walls despite lacking any valid registration. Investigators found that the store was selling gold items marked with spurious hallmarks, a direct violation of the BIS Act of 2016. The government requires mandatory hallmarking for gold to ensure consumer protection and material purity.
The agency is now taking legal action under Sections 15(1) and 15(2) of the BIS Act. These violations can lead to one year of imprisonment, a minimum fine of Rs 1 lakh, or a penalty reaching up to five times the value of the mislabeled goods. The law strictly prohibits the sale, storage, or advertising of gold products bearing the hallmark without proper certification.
The Bureau of Indian Standards maintains that it conducts these operations to protect consumers from fraud. They have encouraged the public to report any misuse of the BIS hallmark or the sale of uncertified products to the Guwahati office via email, promising to keep the identities of all informants confidential.
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