ACB uncovers shocking fraud in fireman recruitment—109 Selected below cutoff
Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, July 1: While the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday stated that the investigation into the 2020 recruitment for Fireman and Fireman Driver posts is ongoing and may take more time, preliminary findings have already exposed large-scale irregularities and manipulation.
In a major revelation earlier this year, the ACB disclosed that over 100 candidates selected for the posts had actually scored below the official cutoff marks but were fraudulently declared as qualified. Out of 690 selected candidates, 109 were found to have secured marks lower than the cutoff but were shown as having significantly higher scores in the final merit list.
Shockingly, candidates who had actually scored as low as 11, 17, and 24 marks were falsely credited with 90 marks each. Among the most glaring cases was the selection of five real brothers from Budgam district. Investigators also uncovered instances of nepotism, including the selection of relatives of Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Department officials and candidates from the same neighborhoods.
The ACB investigation further found that the examination papers were far beyond the comprehension level of candidates who met the minimum educational qualification—Class 8 pass. A manual cross-check of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets with answer keys revealed serious discrepancies.
Based on these findings, the ACB registered a formal case against those involved in the recruitment scam.
A communication dated July 24, 2024, from the General Administration Department (GAD), accompanied by a report from a government-appointed inquiry committee, recommended a criminal investigation into allegations of paper leakage and other malpractices during the 2020 recruitment process.
The origins of the recruitment can be traced to Advertisement Notice No. 01 of 2013, issued by the F&ES Department. However, due to discrepancies, the process was annulled in 2016 via Government Order No. 381-Home dated July 5, 2016.
The recruitment was revived in 2018 following a High Court directive, using the original adve ACB working to complete process
8 Identification of the wrongly selected candidate and study of their bank transaction history to identify the money trail so that they can be properly linked in the instant case.
8 Identification of touts/middlemen through whom the money of the wrongly selected candidates has been routed and study of the bank transaction history of such touts to identify the forward money trail, so that the culprits at the highest level can be identified.
The recruitment process under question was a huge process where around 700 candidates were selected; as such, large volumes of records are to be scrutinized properly to identify the wrongly selected candidates and the other culprits, and the modus operandi used.
Following reports of mass copying during the written test, the government cancelled the exam via Order No. 880-Home of 2019, dated August 1, 2019, and instructed a fresh examination with a new agency.
A fresh tender—e-NIT No. 01 of 2020 dated January 1, 2020—was issued. Of the six agencies that participated, M/s UMC Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata, emerged as the L-1 bidder with a quoted rate of ₹107.50 per candidate. However, despite raising only technical queries, UMC was sidelined without explanation. Instead, the contract was awarded to L-2 bidder, M/s LMES IT LLP, Jammu, at a negotiated rate of ₹179 per candidate—violating Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines, which require negotiations only with the L-1 bidder or re-tendering if the L-1 backs out.
The contract was awarded to LMES IT LLP on March 2, 2020. The written examination was conducted on September 20, 2020, and the selection list, comprising 690 candidates (592 Firemen and 98 Fireman Drivers), was released on October 3, 2020, through Order No. 823 of 2020.
Further inquiry revealed clear favoritism in awarding the contract to LMES IT LLP, a firm lacking the required prior experience. Its main partner, Maharaj Krishan Wali, had previously been associated with the discredited Timing Technologies. The final selection list was allegedly manipulated using fake and fabricated records to favor certain candidates and benefit officials.
These actions constitute offenses punishable under Sections 7, 13(1)(a), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and Sections 120-B, 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code. Accordingly, FIR No. 01/2025 has been registered at Police Station ACB Central against members of the Departmental Recruitment Board, the Technical Committee, F&ES officials, LMES IT LLP, its partner Maharaj Krishan Wali, and other beneficiaries. |
