Known for stoking controversies through his statements, Satya Pal Malik—the former and last Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir—passed away this morning.
Apart from Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik also served as the Governor of several other states. He had been suffering from kidney-related ailments and was undergoing treatment at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
Malik was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, when the BJP-led government at the Centre abrogated Article 370 and Article 35-A.
पूर्व गवर्नर चौधरी सत्यपाल सिंह मलिक जी नहीं रहें।#satyapalmalik
— Satyapal Malik (@SatyapalMalik6) August 5, 2025
A Jat leader from Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat, Malik began his political career as a student leader and was elected an MLA on the ticket of Chaudhary Charan Singh's Bharatiya Kranti Dal in 1974. He later served as a Rajya Sabha MP and as a Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh on a Janata Dal ticket. Over the years, he switched parties, joining the Congress, then the Lok Dal, and later the Samajwadi Party.
He was appointed Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2018, following the imposition of Governor's Rule after the BJP withdrew support from the PDP-led coalition government. Malik remained Governor during a critical period that saw the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories. He was also Governor during the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
Stoked controversy over Pulwama terror attack
In an interview, Malik alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had asked him to remain silent after the Pulwama attack in February 2019. He had raised concerns about serious lapses by government agencies that, he claimed, led to the deadly attack.
Not only the opposition Congress but also Pakistan has repeatedly used Malik's statement to target the Union Government over the Pulwama incident.
Booked by CBI in Kiru Hydropower scam
In May this year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against Satya Pal Malik and five others in connection with alleged corruption in the awarding of contracts for the Kiru Hydropower Project.
According to reports, the CBI submitted its findings after a three-year investigation to a special court, naming Malik and five others as accused.
In February 2024, CBI officials conducted searches at 30 locations across the country, including premises linked to Malik. These searches were carried out in Gurugram, Chandigarh, Patna, Delhi, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jammu & Kashmir, Noida, and Baghpat. Of the 30 locations, eight were reportedly associated with Malik, including three flats in Gurugram and an apartment in the Asiad Games Village in Delhi.
This high-profile case pertains to alleged irregularities in awarding civil works contracts worth ₹2,200 crore for the Kiru Hydroelectric Project.
Satya Pal Malik, who served as the last Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018, to October 30, 2019, had earlier claimed he was offered a bribe of ₹300 crore to clear two files, one of which was related to the Kiru project.
