The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Jamshedpur branch, conducted an enforcement raid at a packaged drinking water company located in Bagula Basti, Nag Nagar, Saraidhela, Dhanbad. The firm was found to be illegally using the ISI mark without a valid BIS licence.
Details of the Raid
The enforcement action was initiated following a credible tip-off regarding the misuse of the ISI mark on packaged drinking water. Acting on this information, Kunal Kumar, director and head of BIS Jamshedpur, constituted a team to carry out a search and seizure operation at the premises. During the raid, the team discovered that the firm was unlawfully using the ISI mark on packaged drinking water marketed under a particular brand name.
Seizure of Products and Materials
The team seized 108 cases of packaged drinking water, with each case containing 12 bottles of one litre each, bearing the unauthorized ISI mark. In addition, 12,000 labels displaying the ISI mark along with the brand name were recovered and seized from the premises. All products and materials found to be in violation were taken into custody by the BIS enforcement team.
Legal Consequences
Dilip Chattar, scientist-D and joint director, stated that the firm had violated the provisions of Section 17 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, which prohibits the use of the standard mark without a valid licence. Such violations are punishable with imprisonment for a term extending up to two years, or with a fine of not less than Rs 2 lakh, which may extend up to ten times the value of goods or articles seized, or with both.
