Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Under CBI Scrutiny: Graft Allegations and Raids

On Thursday, the CBI searched 29 different places, including the home of former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik, in connection with a suspected bribery case involving the awarding of a contract for a hydroelectric project in the Union Territory.

Malik, the governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018, to October 30, 2019, made the corruption accusation.

"I was taken to the hospital after becoming unwell for the last three to four days. In spite of this, the tyrant is using government agents to invade my home. Unnecessary raids and harassment are also occurring with my driver and assistance. Being the son of a farmer, I have no fear of these attacks. In a Hindi post on X, Malik said, "I stand with the farmers."

Malik, who has supported the current farmers' protest, continued, saying: "The CBI is searching my premises instead of looking into the persons I had reported about being corrupted. I only own three or four pairs of clothing. The tyrant is abusing government institutions in an attempt to scare me. I am the son of a farmer, and I refuse to be intimidated or submit.

According to CBI sources, the agency's many teams started raids at thirty locations, including three Malik locations in Delhi, Gurgaon, and Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. Along with Delhi and Mumbai, the raids started early in the morning across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan.

According to a source, "the searches also included the homes of alleged Malik associates, Navin Kumar Chaudhary, the former chairman of Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited, and representatives of Patel Engineering Limited."

Malik said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hushed him when, hours after the 2019 Pulwama atrocity, he had laid responsibility for the tragedy on the Center's mistakes. Malik was called before the CBI in the suspected fraud case last year.

In relation to Malik's accusations of corruption, the CBI filed two FIRs last year. They concern the awarding of contracts for civil works associated with the Kiru hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir, valued at Rs 2,200 crore, and a group medical insurance plan for government workers.

Malik said that between August 23, 2018, and October 30, 2019, while he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, he received offers of payments totaling Rs 150 crore each to resolve the two cases.

"We have officially designated Reliance General Insurance and Trinity Re-Insurance Brokers Limited as defendants in the First Information Report concerning the medical insurance plan, which Malik ultimately terminated," a CBI representative said.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), unidentified employees of the financial department in Jammu and Kashmir were accused of abusing their authority and working together with Trinity, Reliance General Insurance, and other unidentified public officers and private individuals to commit criminal conspiracy and misconduct.

The searches on Thursday were conducted in relation to the second case, which concerns allegations of corruption in the awarding of a civil construction contract worth Rs 2,200 crore relating to the Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project.

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