Director Shakti Pathak Leads ACB Jammu in Exposing Major Fire Services Recruitment Scam
- The ACB Jammu, led by Director Shakti Pathak, has registered a case exposing a major recruitment scam in the Fire & Emergency Services Department, involving the fraudulent selection of 690 Firemen/Fireman Drivers in 2020.
- The investigation revealed irregularities in awarding the TRP contract to an ineligible bidder, M/s LMES IT LLP, despite a lower bid from a qualified agency, and manipulation of the selection list, with 109 candidates fraudulently given higher marks.
- The scam involved a network of DRB members, Technical Committee members, F&ES officials, and the TRP agency, who allegedly colluded to rig the recruitment process for personal gain and benefit select candidates, including relatives of F&ES officials.
- The ACB’s investigation, building on Director Pathak’s previous successes like the Bhalwal land scam, is ongoing and aims to uncover the full extent of the fraud and hold all those responsible accountable.
Jammu, January 02, 2025: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Jammu has registered a case (FIR No. 01/2025) exposing a major recruitment scam within the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the selection process for Fireman/Fireman Driver positions.
This investigation, led by Director Shakti Pathak, who played a key role in uncovering the Bhalwal land scam, follows a July 24, 2024, communication from the General Administration Department (GAD) and the report of a government-constituted inquiry committee. The committee’s report, submitted to the ACB, specifically recommended a criminal investigation into allegations of irregularities, including paper leakage, during the 2020 recruitment process.
The ACB’s preliminary inquiry uncovered a series of irregularities and questionable decisions by the Departmental Recruitment Board (DRB), going back to the initial recruitment advertisement (Notice No. 01 of 2013 dated March 12, 2013).
This initial recruitment drive was terminated on July 5, 2016 (Order No. 381-Home of 2016) due to discrepancies, only to be restarted in 2018, under directions from the Hon’ble High Court of J&K, still adhering to the 2013 advertisement notice. A Transparent Recruitment Process (TRP) agency was to be engaged through open bidding, leading to the selection of Hyderabad-based M/s Timing Technologies India Pvt. Ltd (e-NIT No. 01 of 2018 dated April 5, 2018), whose resource person was Maharaj Krishan Wali.
Following allegations of mass copying, the written exam was cancelled on August 1, 2019 (Order No. 880-Home of 2019), and the TRP agency was subsequently changed following a government directive on September 6, 2019.
A new tender (e-NIT No. 01 of 2020 dated January 1, 2020) was issued, and six agencies participated. M/s UMC Technology Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata, was identified as the lowest bidder (L1) at ₹107.50 per candidate. However, the DRB, without justification, bypassed L1 and negotiated with L2, M/s LMES IT LLP, Jammu, finalizing a rate of ₹179 per candidate (against their quoted ₹185). This firm, newly formed in November 2017, was awarded the contract on March 2, 2020, despite lacking the required experience and having Maharaj Krishan Wali, the same resource person from the previous agency, as its main partner (99% share). This decision violated CVC guidelines mandating negotiation with L1 only.
The written examination, conducted on September 20, 2020, resulted in a selection list (Order No. 823 of 2020, dated October 4, 2020) of 690 candidates: 592 Firemen and 98 Firemen Drivers.
The ACB’s probe revealed that the question papers were beyond the comprehension level of candidates with the minimum required qualification (8th standard). Furthermore, 109 selected candidates were found to have scored below the cutoff but were fraudulently awarded higher marks (e.g., candidates with scores of 11, 17, or 24 were shown to have secured 90).
The selection list also included five real brothers from Budgam and relatives of F&ES officials.
The ACB’s investigation suggests a network of corruption involving DRB members, the Technical Committee, F&ES officials, and M/s LMES IT LLP, allegedly manipulating the recruitment process for personal gain.
This network not only awarded the TRP contract to an ineligible bidder but also fabricated the selection list to benefit chosen candidates. The ACB registered FIR No. 01/2025, invoking Sections 7, 13(1)(a), and 13(2) of the PC Act 1988 and Sections 120-B, 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the IPC.
The investigation is ongoing and aims to uncover the full extent of this sophisticated scam and hold all those responsible accountable.
