CBI Raids Ex-Governor Satya Pal Malik

On 22 Feb, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched the premises of former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) governor Satya Pal Malik and 29 other locations in connection with alleged corruption in the Kiru hydropower project in Jammu’s Kishtwar district. This was a $265M contract for civil work at a hydroelectric project. In Oct 2021, Malik had said he had received an offer of a bribe of $36M to clear two files when he was the J&K governor from 23 Aug 2018 to 30 Oct 2019. In April 2022, the CBI charged Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd (CVPPPL) officials in this case, among others. Malik, who claimed to be a witness in the case so far, turned suspect after his alleged involvement came to the fore during the CBI investigation. Officially, the CBI never called Malik a witness but had earlier called him in for questioning for clarifications. Malik was one of the supporters of the 2020-21 Farmers’ Protest. He had become the toast of the Indian middle class. He was the J&K governor when the BJP abrogated Article 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution and demoted the state into two union territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Malik has also been a member of Rajya and Lok Sabhas, and former governor of Bihar, Odisha, Goa, and Meghalaya. Malik has been regularly targeting the ruling regime but the raid is being seen as linked to the current Farmers’ Protest.