Former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik Passes Away at 79
By Amit Kumar
Satya Pal Malik, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and a veteran political leader, passed away
on Tuesday at the age of 79. He died at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, where he had
been receiving treatment for multiple chronic illnesses.
According to a statement from the hospital, Malik had a history of diabetic kidney disease,
hypertension, morbid obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea. He was admitted on May 11 with a
complicated urinary tract infection and later developed septic shock, hospital-acquired pneumonia,
and multi-organ failure. Despite intensive treatment, including ventilatory support and dialysis, his
condition worsened. He passed away at 1:12 p.m. on August 5.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media, saying, “Saddened by the
passing away of Shri Satyapal Malik Ji. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of
grief. Om Shanti.”
Born in 1946 in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, Satya Pal Malik began his political journey inspired by
socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia. His career spanned several decades and political affiliations. He
briefly served in the Congress party in the 1980s and was the general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh
Congress Committee before resigning in 1987 over the Bofors scandal.
He later helped found the Jan Morcha, which merged with Janata Dal in 1988. In 2004, Malik joined
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and became its national vice-president in 2012. He was also part of
Prime Minister Modi’s core team during the 2014 general elections.
Malik held gubernatorial posts in Bihar, Goa, Odisha, and Meghalaya. His most notable tenure was in
Jammu and Kashmir, where he served from August 2018 until October 2019. He was in office when
Article 370 was revoked, ending the special status of the former state. The move marked one of the
most significant constitutional changes in India’s recent history.
After Jammu and Kashmir, Malik was appointed Governor of Goa and later transferred to Meghalaya,
where he served until his retirement in 2022.