Jammu, August 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has lodged two separate FIRs against Rakesh Sharma, former Managing Director of the J&K State Handloom Development Corporation Ltd., following a preliminary inquiry that exposed alleged corruption and unauthorized appointments during his tenure.
The first case, FIR No. 11/2024, was filed in response to accusations that Sharma engaged in financial misconduct related to a ₹6 crore allocation intended for procuring handloom machinery for a project in Samba. The preliminary findings indicate that instead of acquiring traditional handloom machinery, Sharma allegedly procured airjet looms, which do not qualify as handlooms, in exchange for substantial commissions from the manufacturing firms involved.
According to the inquiry, the Handloom Corporation issued a Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) for ten looms with specified features for the Samba project. Among five competing bidders, M/S AAR AAR Enterprises from Panipat emerged as the lowest bidder, quoting a per-unit price of ₹12.25 lakh, inclusive of GST. However, despite this, the Corporation opted to purchase six looms from M/S Shree Tex Engineers, Boisar Road District Palghar, Maharashtra, at an inflated price of ₹96.80 lakh plus GST—significantly higher than the L1 bid. This deviation from the tender process allegedly involved a conspiracy among Corporation officials and the vendor, resulting in a substantial financial loss to the state treasury while yielding undue gains to those involved.
The second FIR, No. 12/2024, highlights allegations of Sharma’s misuse of authority in approving backdoor appointments. Investigations revealed that during his tenure, Sharma sanctioned the recruitment of 14 individuals without publicly advertising the positions, a clear violation of established recruitment protocols, benefiting select individuals without merit. Further inquiries into his time as Managing Director unveiled indiscriminate promotions within the Corporation, bypassing due processes and recommended guidelines. While 58 promotions were officially sanctioned by the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), an additional 137 promotions were allegedly approved by Sharma alone, disregarding required DPC recommendations and vacancy norms. These promotions reportedly included employees lacking the mandatory three-year tenure in their posts and led to a bloated workforce beyond the sanctioned strength, causing significant financial strain on the Corporation’s resources.
The cases mark an intensified effort by the ACB to address alleged misappropriations and reinforce accountability within J&K’s public sector, aiming to curb systemic corruption.