Former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik's Delhi residence searched by CBI in corruption case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at the premises of former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday in relation to a corruption case linked to the Kiru Hydroelectric Power Project.

The agency carried out searches at 30 locations as part of the investigation. Malik's premises in Delhi were also included in the search operation. In the previous month, the CBI had conducted searches at approximately eight locations in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.

These searches were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the tender award for civil works of the Kiru Hydroelectric Project, which is being executed by Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPPL).

Searches conducted recently resulted in the recovery of digital devices, computers, and various documents including property and incriminating ones, along with cash amounting to over Rs 21 lakh. The investigation is connected to alleged corruption cases in the awarding of civil works for the Kiru hydroelectric power project, valued at Rs 2,200 crore, as stated by officials.

Satya Pal Malik, who served as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018, to October 30, 2019, claimed that he was offered a bribe of Rs 300 crore to clear two files, one of which pertained to the said project. The case was registered based on a reference received from the Jammu and Kashmir administration against the then Chairman, Managing Director, Directors of CVPPPL, an unidentified private company, and other unknown individuals.

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