SRINAGAR, Jan 2 : The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jammu and Kashmir has initiated a case regarding alleged irregularities in the recruitment process for Fireman and Fireman Drivers within the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department.
According to a statement by the ACB, “On July 24, 2024, the General Administration Department (GAD) forwarded a communication along with an inquiry committee’s report to the ACB. This committee had been established by the government to probe allegations of misconduct in the selection process of 2020 for Fireman and Fireman Drivers. The inquiry suggested that a criminal investigation by the ACB was warranted due to concerns of paper leakage and other irregularities”.
“An initial investigation by the Bureau indicated that in 2013, the Departmental Recruitment Board (DRB), F&ES, J&K, released Advertisement Notice No. 01 of 2013 for multiple positions, including Fireman and Fireman Drivers. The recruitment process was halted by the government in 2016 due to inconsistencies. Recruitment efforts resumed in 2018 through a Transparent Recruitment Process (TRP), as ordered by the Hon’ble High Court of J&K. The TRP was conducted by M/s Timing Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. from Hyderabad, which handled both physical and written tests. After widespread allegations of cheating arose, the government annulled the written examination in 2019 and switched the TRP agency”.
“In 2020, the Directorate of F&ES issued e-NIT No. 01 to solicit tenders from vendors for conducting the written examination. Six TRP agencies submitted bids, with M/s UMC Technology Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata, being the lowest bidder (L-1). Nevertheless, despite their more competitive bid, negotiations took place with the second-lowest bidder, M/s LMES IT LLP, Jammu. Ultimately, the work order was awarded to this firm, which lacked prior experience in such exercises, contrary to the stipulations outlined in the e-NIT”.
“The written examination took place on September 20, 2020, and a selection list was published on October 3, 2020, with 690 candidates being chosen. The inquiry revealed favoritism towards M/s LMES IT LLP, which had ties to a former resource person associated with the earlier TRP agency. Further examination disclosed irregularities in the examination process, such as inaccurate marks being assigned to certain candidates. For instance, 109 candidates were identified as having received lower scores than those that appeared on the final results list. Additionally, there were cases of several family members being selected alongside other indications of bias”.
“The investigation pointed out collusion among members of the DRB, the Technical Committee, and F&ES officials in conjunction with M/s LMES IT LLP, which manipulated the selection for personal advantages. Such activities constituted offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Indian Penal Code, involving criminal conspiracy, forgery, and cheating”.
“Consequently, an FIR (No. 01/2025) has been lodged at the ACB Central Police Station, and the investigation is ongoing”.
