Jammu, June 22: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik in a corruption case involving alleged bribes routed through aides for awarding the ₹2,200 crore Kiru hydroelectric project (HEP) contract on the Chenab river in Kishtwar district.
According to the charge sheet filed last month, Malik allegedly received bribes through two close aides, Virendra Rana and Kanwar Singh Rana, to favour Patel Engineering Ltd in the awarding of the high-value civil contract. The charge sheet, submitted to a special court in Jammu, also names MS Babu, then MD of Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd (CVPPPL), along with its directors Arun Kumar Mishra and M.K. Mittal, Patel Engineering MD Rupen Patel, and Kanwaljeet Singh Duggal.
CBI officials stated that a clear money trail has been established, confirming the involvement of Malik’s aides in routing the bribe. “There is robust documentary evidence and witness testimony,” one official said. The court is yet to take cognizance of the charge sheet.
The agency has invoked Section 120-B of the J&K Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) and the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, applicable before the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. CBI clarified that no prosecution sanction was required under these provisions to charge Malik, despite his holding a constitutional position at the time.
Malik, who served as governor from August 2018 to October 2019, is currently undergoing treatment for a serious kidney-related ailment, and his representative has declined further comment beyond what Malik has publicly stated.
On June 7, Malik wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he had personally cancelled the tender in question and had informed the Prime Minister about alleged corruption before doing so. He claimed that the tender was approved only after his transfer, and with someone else’s signature.
In October 2021, Malik publicly alleged he had been offered ₹300 crore to approve two files, one of which related to the Kiru project.
Though not initially named when the CBI registered the FIR on April 20, 2022, officials say Malik’s role emerged later during the investigation. CBI has also raised concerns over the non-implementation of a reverse auction tendering process that had initially been agreed upon by CVPPPL’s board, which later awarded the project to Patel Engineering Ltd.
