Satyapal Malik Dies at 79 Was J&K Governor During Article 370 Repeal
Satyapal Malik, the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir who was at the helm when the Centre revoked the region’s special status under Article 370, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 79.
His death was confirmed through a post on his official X account, stating, “Former Governor Satyapal Singh Malik Ji is no more.” According to reports, he died at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital following a prolonged illness.
Malik’s tenure as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, from August 2018 to October 2019, was defined by the monumental decision to abrogate Article 370 on August 5, 2019. However, he later became a vocal critic of the central government and claimed he was kept in the dark about the move.
In a subsequent interview, Malik alleged, “I did not know anything. I was merely called by the home minister one day prior, saying, Satyapal, I’m sending a letter tomorrow morning, please get it passed by a committee before 11 tomorrow and send it to me.”
His post-gubernatorial life was also marked by controversy. In May of this year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against him and six others in a corruption case linked to the Kiru Hydro Electric Project in Jammu and Kashmir.
The case involved alleged corruption in the awarding of a civil works contract worth Rs 2,200 crore in 2019. After his term in J&K, Malik went on to serve as the Governor of Goa and later Meghalaya, a position he held until October 2022.
