The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik over alleged corruption in the awarding of a Rs 2,200 crore civil works contract for the Kiru hydropower project. After a three-year investigation, the agency submitted its findings to a special court, naming Satya Pal Malik and five others as accused in the case.
In February last year, the CBI carried out searches at the residences of Satya Pal Malik and others in connection with the corruption case.
The investigation stems from an FIR registered in 2022, which alleges irregularities in the awarding of a Rs 2,200 crore civil works contract for the Kiru Hydro Electric Power (HEP) project to a private firm in 2019.
Satya Pal Malik, who held the position of J&K Governor from August 23, 2018, to October 30, 2019, had claimed he was offered a Rs 300 crore bribe to approve two files, one of which pertained to the Kiru project.
He has denied all corruption allegations following the CBI’s search operation.
Malik accused the CBI of raiding his residence instead of investigating the individuals he had implicated in the corruption case. “They won’t find anything except 4-5 kurtas and pyjamas. The dictator is trying to intimidate me by misusing government agencies. I am a farmer’s son—I will neither be afraid nor bow down,” Malik posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The central agency has also filed charges against Navin Kumar Choudhary, the then chairman of Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPPL), along with officials M S Babu, M K Mittal, Arun Kumar Mishra, and the construction firm Patel Engineering Limited.
The FIR alleges that although the 47th board meeting of CVPPPL decided to re-tender the contract through e-tendering with a reverse auction after cancelling the previous tendering process, this decision was not implemented as per the 48th board meeting. Instead, the contract was ultimately awarded to Patel Engineering Limited.
