My house being raided by dictator: Satya Pal Malik on CBI search

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday carried out searches at 30 locations, including former Jammu & Kashmir lieutenant-governor Satya Pal Malik's residence, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the Rs 2,200-crore Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project.

According to information, the agency started the search operations with around 100 officers in the morning. Reacting to the raids, Malik put up a post on X saying his "house is being raided by the dictator through government agencies".

"I have been ill for the last 3-4 days and admitted to hospital. Despite this, my house is being raided by the dictator through government agencies. My driver and my assistant are also being raided and harassed unnecessarily. I am a farmer's son, I will not be afraid of these raids. I am with the farmers," Malik wrote on X.

On 29 January 2023, the CBI conducted search operations in around eight locations in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir as part of the ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities in the awarding of tenders for civil work on the Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project, being executed by Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd.

In April 2022, Malik was questioned by the CBI after the agency registered cases regarding purported irregularities in two projects in Jammu and Kashmir during his tenure as LG. One case was registered on allegations of malpractices in awarding contracts for civil works to a private company in 2019.

During his tenure, Malik was allegedly offered Rs 300 crore to approve two files, one of which was linked to the Kiru hydropower project.

The CBI had previously stated, “The case was registered on allegations of malpractices in award of a contract worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project (HEP) to a private company in the year 2019.”

The agency has named former chairman Navin Kumar Chaudhary, along with other former officials M.S. Babu, M.K. Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra, as well as Patel Engineering Ltd in connection with the case.

The FIR alleges discrepancies in the awarding of the contract, pointing out that despite a decision for retendering through e-tendering with reverse auction, the tender was ultimately awarded to Patel Engineering Ltd.

The CBI had also searched the premises of individuals suspected to be involved in money laundering related to converting the bribe into 'white' money. These individuals include Rajiv Dahiya, Surender Kumar Gupta, Saurabh Gupta, Arun Kumar, and Reshi Kumar Sharma.