Srinagar, Jan 02: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have registered a case concerning alleged irregularities in the selection process for Fireman/Fireman Drivers in the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department.
ACB in a statement issued said that a communication dated 24.07.2024 of General Administration Department (GAD), alongwith report of inquiry committee constituted by the Government to inquire into the allegations of irregularities committed in the selection process of Fireman/Fireman Drivers during the year, 2020 in the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department, was received in this Bureau conveying therein the decision of competent authority for carrying out investigation in the matter. The inquiry committee, so constituted, recommended criminal investigation through ACB on the allegation of paper leakage viz-a-viz the other aspects so recommended by the inquiry committee.
On receipt of the said communication, the matter was initially enquired in this Bureau which revealed that in the year 2013, Chairman, Departmental Recruitment Board (DRB), Fire & Emergency Services, J&K, had issued an Advertisement Notice No. 01 of 2013 dated 12-03-2013 for the posts of Fireman/Fireman Drivers and other tradesmen posts. The examination was conducted by the DRB, however, in view of certain discrepancies in the selection process, Government, vide Order No.381-Home of 2016 dated 05.07.2016, terminated the whole process of selection. The recruitment process was again started in the year, 2018 in accordance with the earlier Advertisement Notice issued in the year 2013 as per directions passed by the Hon’ble High Court of J&K with no change/modification in the Advertisement Notice. The Government also directed to conduct recruitment through Transparent Recruitment Process (TRP) to be engaged through an open bid system. Accordingly, e-NIT No. 01 of 2018 dated 05.04.2018 was issued by Directorate of F&ES for engaging TRP agency in which Hyderabad based M/s Timing Technologies India Pvt. Ltd was selected which conducted the physical test/written examination across J&K. The resource person of M/s Timing Technologies India Pvt. Ltd was Sh. Maharaj Krishan Wali. Following allegations of mass copying etc. in the written test, the Government, vide Order No. 880-Home of 2019 dated 01.08.2019, cancelled the written examination and ordered to conduct written examination afresh. The Government, vide communication dated 06.09.2019, further directed to change the TRP Agency M/s Timing Technology India Ltd, the statement said.
It also said that the probe conducted in the matter further revealed that the Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services issued e-NIT No. 01 of 2020 dated 01-01-2020 for inviting tenders from reputed vendors/firms having proven experience of conducting similar exercise atleast in two UTs/State Police/Central Para Military Forces/Fire & Emergency Service for processing and conducting of written examination under TRP. In response to said e-NIT, 06 TRP agencies participated, out of which M/s UMC Technology Pvt. Ltd Kolkata was worked out as L-1 with quoted price of Rs. 107.50 per candidate as per Financial Comparative statement finalized by Technical Committee constituted for the purpose. L-1 bidder raised some genuine queries relating to number of candidates & centres, but without assigning any reason, negotiations were made with L-2 bidder, M/s LMES IT LLP, Jammu. The Technical Committee negotiated the rates with L-2 @ Rs. 179 per candidate against the quoted rate of Rs. 185 per candidate. After getting approval from Chairman of DRB, the work order was given to ineligible agency, M/s LMES IT LLP, Jammu, on 02.03.2020 by ignoring L-1 bidder without any justification. The written examination was conducted on 20.09.2020 and the selection list of Fireman/Fireman Drivers was issued on 03.10.2020 wherein total 690 candidates, including 592 Firemen and 98 Firemen Drivers, were selected vide Order No 823 of 2020 dated 04.10.2020 of Directorate F&ES/Chairman, DRB.
It further surfaced that favoritism was shown in awarding contract to L-2 Firm, M/s LMES IT LLP, which had no proven experience of conducting similar exercise as mandated in the e-NIT by sidelining L-1 bidder. Further, the bid of L-2 was accepted by the DRB knowing that L-2 was a newly formed Firm in November, 2017 and Maharaj Krishan Wali (main partner with 99% share) was the same person who had earlier remained as resource person with M/s Timing Technology (P) Ltd. As per CVC guidelines /circular/order, the negotiation shall be held with L-1 only and there should be re-tendering in case L-1 bidder backs out, but the guideline /order was not complied with in this case.
During the course of probe, the question papers were found beyond the comprehension of candidates who have studied upto 8th Standard which is the required minimum qualification. A manual review of the OMR sheets vis-a-vis answer keys revealed discrepancies in the selection process. Out of 690 selected candidates, 109 were found to have secured lower marks than the cutoff marks, but were selected by showing them to have secured higher marks in the final selection list than the marks actually secured by them. For instance, candidates actually securing 11, 17, 24 marks were shown to have secured 90 marks each in the final selection list. Similarly, it was found that five real brothers from district Budgam were selected and multiple such instances, besides, selection of some relatives of officials of F&ES Department, and the instances of the selected candidates belonging to the same localities have surfaced during the course of enquiry, the statement added.
It also added that by acting in this manner, the then members of Departmental Recruitment Board, members of Technical Committee, Officers/Officials of F&ES Department, who remained associated with the recruitment process, being in league with each other as well as with M/S LMES IT LLP through its main partner Maharaj Krishan Wali (L-2 bidder), abused their official positions for extraneous considerations whereby they awarded work of TRP in favor of L-2 bidder by ignoring L-1 bidder in an illegal and unjustified manner, besides manipulated the selection list by preparing fake / fabricated record in order to confer undue benefits upon themselves and the beneficiaries.
The aforementioned facts constitute commission of offences punishable under sections 7, 13(1) (a) & 13 (2) of PC Act 1988 (as Amended in 2018) and 120-B, 420, 467, 468 & 471 IPC, against the members of Departmental Recruitment Board, including the Chairmen, Members of the Technical Committee, officers/officials of F&ES department, who remained associated with the recruitment process, M/S LMES IT LLP through its main partner Maharaj Krishan Wali, beneficiaries & others. Consequently, a case FIR No 01/2025 was registered in Police Station ACB Central.
Further Investigation in the case is going on, the statement added.
