LIVE Update | Satya Pal Malik, Ex-J&K Governor During Article 370 Abrogation, Dies at 79

It is with deep sorrow that we confirm the passing of Shri Satya Pal Malik, who had been under intensive care at our facility. The former Governor had a longstanding history of diabetic kidney disease, hypertension, morbid obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea. He was admitted on May 11, 2025, at 12:04 PM with a complicated urinary tract infection. His condition rapidly worsened as he developed refractory septic shock, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and multi-organ dysfunction. Despite all appropriate and aggressive medical interventions—including ventilatory support, multiple antibiotics, two sessions of Cytosorb therapy, and comprehensive critical care—his health continued to deteriorate. He further developed disseminated intravascular...

Reacting to the demise of Satya Pal Malik, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said, “He was a good man who walked the path of truth. He always spoke the truth during his tenure as the Governor. I express my deepest condolences.”

#WATCH | On the demise of Satyapal Malik, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla says, "He was a good man who walked the path of truth. He always spoke the truth during his tenure as the Governor. I express my deepest condolences." pic.twitter.com/HK8ahxyDPM

— ANI (@ANI) <a href="

In 2004, Satya Pal Malik joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested the Lok Sabha elections from Baghpat, but lost to then Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh. During Narendra Modi’s first term as Prime Minister, Malik was appointed as the head of the parliamentary panel tasked with reviewing the Land Acquisition Bill. His panel made several recommendations against the bill, prompting the government to shelve the major reform initiative.

Malik later made history by becoming the first politician to be appointed as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since the onset of militancy in the region.

In 1980, Satya Pal Malik was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by Lok Dal, led by Chaudhary Charan Singh. However, in 1984, he switched allegiance to the Congress party, which again sent him to the Rajya Sabha in 1986.

Following the revelation of the Bofors scam, Malik resigned from the Congress in 1987 and joined hands with V.P. Singh. In the 1989 general elections, he won the Lok Sabha seat from Aligarh as a Janata Dal candidate. In 1990, he briefly served as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism in the central government.

Satya Pal Malik was born on July 24, 1946, into a Jat family in Hisawda village of Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his graduation in science and obtained an LL.B. degree from Meerut University. His political journey began in 1968–69 when he was elected president of the student union at Meerut University. Malik’s first significant role in politics came between 1974 and 1977 when he served as a Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He later represented Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1986 and again from 1986 to 1989. From 1989 to 1991, he served...