JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has permanently blacklisted M/s LMES IT LLP and its director Maharaj Krishan Wali, prohibiting them from participating in any future recruitment-related tenders in the Union Territory.
The action comes in connection with serious irregularities detected in the 2020 Firemen and Firemen Drivers recruitment, conducted by the Fire & Emergency Services Department.
The decision has been formalised through Government Order No. 1540-JK(GAD) of 2025, issued by the General Administration Department (Vigilance), following a detailed, multi-stage probe into the recruitment process.
According to the order, the UT government had constituted an inquiry committee in December 2022 to examine allegations of manipulation and procedural lapses. The committee presented its findings in February 2024, after which the case was referred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The ACB, during its verification, registered FIR No. 01/2025 at the Central Jammu Police Station earlier this year.
Investigations revealed that LMES IT LLP did not satisfy mandatory technical and eligibility criteria outlined in the tender conditions. The firm lacked prior experience in handling recruitment for police, paramilitary, or other security forces—an essential prerequisite for the contract. Officials also noted that the company had been incorporated only in November 2017, following a split from Energy and Software Pvt Ltd, and therefore did not meet the standards of a reputed recruitment agency.
The probe further found that LMES had relied on financial documents belonging to another firm to qualify for bidding and had submitted only a single balance sheet of its own. Despite being ranked L-2 in the financial evaluation, the company was awarded the recruitment contract, while concerns regarding the L-1 bidder were neither resolved nor properly examined, indicating procedural irregularities.
The order also sheds light on a conflict-of-interest angle: the director of LMES, Maharaj Krishan Wali, previously worked with Timing Technologies Pvt Ltd, a firm whose recruitment contract had been cancelled by the J&K Police in 2018. Despite this background, LMES was allowed to take part in the Firemen recruitment tender—an indication, the government notes, of undue favour being extended to the vendor.
Acting on recommendations from the Home Department, and invoking Rule 151 of the General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017, the administration has now permanently debarred LMES IT LLP from participating in any future recruitment processes or tenders in Jammu and Kashmir.
The order marks one of the strongest actions taken by the UT government in recent years to tighten oversight and ensure transparency in public recruitment.
