Satya Pal Malik: A Chequered Career of Conviction, Contradiction & Controversy

SATYA Pal Malik, a seasoned politician who traversed India's political spectrum from the Lok Dal to Congress to the BJP, and later emerged as a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, passed away on Tuesday at 1.12 PM at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital. He was 79. He had been undergoing treatment for kidney and age-related ailments.

- Mukesh Ranjan @New Delhi

Once a trusted aide of PM Modi—holding gubernatorial posts in Bihar, J&K, Goa, Odisha, and Meghalaya—Malik's final years were defined by his outspoken dissent. He criticised the government over the handling of the 2019 Pulwama attack, the farmers' protest, and alleged corruption during his tenure as J&K Governor.

Later, the CBI chargesheeted him in a bribery case linked to ₹2,200 crore Kiru hydropower project in Kashmir.