Former J&K Governor Satyapal Malik dies at 79

Jammu and Kashmir’s former Governor Satyapal Malik died on Tuesday at the age of 79.

He was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi and was undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments.

The 79-year-old served as the last governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir between August 2018 and October 2019.

He was the governor of Goa between November 2019 and August 2020, before serving in Meghalaya from August 2020 to October 2022.

He had also been the governor of Bihar between September 2017 and August 2018, and held the additional charge of Odisha from March 2018 to May 2018.

Malik was a Rajya Sabha member of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the late 1980s. He was also briefly associated with the Janata Dal in the early 1990s.

Malik’s allegations

In May, the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a chargesheet naming Malik and six others in a corruption case linked to the awarding of civil work contracts for the Rs 2,200-crore Kiru Hydropower Project in Jammu and Kashmir.

The case was filed months after the agency raided three premises linked to Malik in February.

Following the raids, Malik had accused the Union government of misusing investigative agencies to intimidate him, saying the searches were carried out even as he was in hospital.

He also alleged that his...

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