CBI Charges Satyapal Malik: Unveiling Kiru Hydropower Corruption

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially charged former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik, alongside seven others, for alleged corruption in the awarding of civil work contracts worth Rs 2,200 crore for the Kiru hydropower project. This marks the culmination of a three-year investigative effort.

The chargesheet, presented to a special court, names Malik's aides Virender and Kanwar Singh Rana, along with other high-profile individuals from Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd and Patel Engineering Ltd. Malik, currently hospitalized and unable to speak to the press, insists on his innocence, denouncing the use of government agencies as political tools.

The corruption allegations target a contentious tender award in 2019, during Malik's tenure as governor. Despite his claims of rejecting a significant bribe offer associated with the project, Malik's home faced CBI raids last year, prompting him to express public defiance and maintain his integrity.

(With inputs from agencies.)