Enforcement Activities

The BIS Standard Mark (ISI Mark/Hallmark) is a quality/Purity mark and also has established its brand image for more than six decades as the consumer is always inclined towards quality products. Therefore, the consumer as well as the organized purchaser prefers ISI Marked/Hallmarked products. With the growing popularity of ISI mark/Hallmark, instances of misuse of ISI Mark/Hallmark are also on the rise as the unscrupulous manufacturers are trying to cheat the consumers by use of Standard Mark (ISI Mark/Hallmark) without obtaining the licence from BIS.  

BIS carries out enforcement activity to curb the use of Standard Mark or its imitation by unscrupulous traders and manufacturers not holding valid BIS license. Such action also helps consumers from being misled about quality of products that are marked with the BIS Standard Mark. Enforcement raids, which include search and seizure operations are carried out against traders and manufacturers on the basis of intelligence collected regarding misuse of the Standard Mark and where required, prosecution cases are filed in court of law.

• • Genuine ISI Mark/Hallmark
  • Spurious ISI Mark/Hallmark

• Search and Seizure
• Press Release and Press Cliping
• Judgements

1. Genuine ISI Mark/Hallmark

The BIS Standard Mark (ISI Mark) is a quality mark and also has established its brand image over the decades as the consumer is always inclined towards quality products. Therefore, the consumer as well as the organized purchaser prefers ISI Marked products. With the growing demand of ISI marked products, the instance of misuse of ISI Mark is also on the rise as the unscrupulous manufacturers are trying to cheat the consumers by marking products with ISI Mark without obtaining the valid licence from BIS. The Genuine ISI mark is illustrated below:

Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles. Hallmark is thus a guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles. The principle objectives of the Hallmarking Scheme are to protect the public against adulteration and to obligate manufacturers to maintain legal standards of fineness. In India, at present two precious metals namely gold and silver have been notified for Hallmarking. The various components of Hallmarking are given below:

ARE YOU AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING?

STANDARD MARK

Licences to use the standard Mark, on large number of products are granted to manufacturers under the Certification Mark Scheme/ Hallmarking Scheme operated under the provisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. The Standard Mark for every product is unique and is notified in the Gazette of India.

LICENCE NUMBER

Licence number (a seven digit number or ten digit number or 6 digit number [for Assaying and Hallmarking Centre]), is also given along with the Standard Mark. This helps in identifying the unit which has manufactured the product/marked the product at a specific location.

WHAT DOES IT CONVEY?

Conveys that the product carrying the Mark conforms to the relevant Indian Standard certified by BIS, and the hallmark on articles indicates purity of the hallmarked precious metal is as declared.

2. Spurious BIS Standard Mark

a) If you encounter any below ISI marking on the product purchased:
Like As per IS…….
Fitted with ISI……
As per ISS
OR
COLOURABLE IMITATION OF ISI MONOGRAM

b) In case of Hallmark, if the Marking does not include all the components of marking except BIS logo.

If you found above marking on the product, you are purchasing a fake ISI marked product. Similarly, if the hallmark has BIS logo but does not include all the components of marking, the Hallmark is not genuine. In such cases, please inform us at

Dy Director General (Consumer Affairs)
Bureau of Indian Standards
Room No. 550, Manakalaya,
9, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi-110002.
ddgca@bis.gov.in Telefax: 011 23236584

OR
Head (Consumer Affairs Department)
Bureau of Indian Standards
Room No. 560, Mankalaya,
9, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi-110002.
Email: cad@bis.gov.in
Complaint on Web at http://www.bis.org.in/

OR
Through email on id: complaints@bis.gov.in

OR
On Mobile application
OR
You can contact the local branch office for the same.

(The identity of the complainant will be kept strictly confidential)

ARE YOU A MANUFACTURER ENGAGED IN PUTTING (ISI MARK) ON YOUR PRODUCT WITH OUT HOLDING A VALID LICENCE FROM BIS OR APPLYING HALLMARK/SELLING HALLMARKED JEWELLERY WITHOUT OBTAINING LICENCE FROM BIS BEWARE THAT BIS WOULD BE KNOCKING YOUR FACTORY/SHOP DOOR VERY SOON. YOU WOULD BE BOOKED AND PROSECUTED FOR SUCH CRIME.

3. Penalty for Misuse

Provisions for punishment on misuse of BIS Standard Mark

The Section 29 (2), (3) and (4) of BIS Act, 2016 stipulates that
(2) Any person who contravenes the provisions of sub-section (6) or (8) of section 14 or section 15 shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees, but may extend up to five times the value of goods or articles produced or sold or offered to be sold or affixed or applied with a Standard Mark including Hallmark, or with both:
PROVIDED that where the value of goods or articles produced or sold or offered to be sold cannot be determined, it shall be presumed that one year’s production was in such contravention and the annual turnover in the previous financial year shall be taken as the value of goods or articles for such contravention.

(3) Any person who contravenes the provisions of Section 17 shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to two years or with fine which shall not be less than two lakh rupees for the first contravention and not be less than five lakh rupees for the second and subsequent contraventions, but may extend up to ten times the value of goods or articles produced or sold or offered to be sold or affixed or applied with the Standard Mark, including Hallmark, or with both:
PROVIDED that where the value of goods or articles produced or sold or offered to be sold cannot be determined, it shall be presumed that one year’s production was in such contravention and the annual turnover in the previous financial year shall be taken as the value of goods or articles for such contravention.

(4) The offence under sub-section (3) shall be cognizable.

4. Search and Seizures

1. M/s Sri Lakshminarsimmha Aqua Tech at Coimbatore found missing ISI Mark on Packaged Drinking Water. Firm was raided and about 217 bags of 250 ml pouch filled with PDW were seized. The firm was misusing ISI Mark on leading brand names. The case being filed in Court of Law.

5. Press Release and Press Clipping

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

6. Judgements