Vinod Bhat
New Delhi: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Chennai Branch Office, seized 803.99 grams of non-hallmarked gold jewellery during an enforcement search and seizure operation at a jewellery shop in Ambattur, Chennai, on September 1, 2026. The action was carried out under Section 28 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, after non-hallmarked gold jewellery was found displayed for commercial sale.
The seized jewellery included 175 mangalsutras (thalis) weighing 671.50 grams, 12 children’s bangles weighing 25.02 grams, 40 earrings weighing 86.14 grams and 10 pendants weighing 21.33 grams.
The BIS enforcement team found the jewellery in different designs and categories being offered for sale without the required hallmarking. The articles were seized under the provisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 and have been confiscated for detailed investigation and further legal proceedings.
The operation was conducted by officials and support staff of the BIS Chennai Branch Office with assistance from the local police.
BIS steps up market surveillance to protect consumers
Shri S. D. Dayanand, Head of the BIS Chennai Branch Office, said that BIS regularly undertakes market surveillance and enforcement activities to ensure that products covered under mandatory BIS certification and hallmarking requirements comply with the prescribed standards.
He said such enforcement actions are important to prevent the sale of substandard products, check misuse of the BIS Standard Mark and Hallmark, and maintain consumer confidence in the certification and hallmarking system.
BIS states that hallmarking provides an official indication of the purity or fineness of precious metal articles. Under the current hallmarking system, hallmarked gold jewellery carries the BIS logo, purity/fineness and a six-digit Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number. Consumers can also use the BIS CARE app to verify the HUID of hallmarked jewellery.
