Satya Pal Malik, former Governor of several states, passed away on Tuesday afternoon at the age of 79. He breathed his last at 1:12 p.m. at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi. The hospital confirmed that Malik had a long-standing history of diabetic kidney disease, hypertension, morbid obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea.
Malik, a veteran politician with decades of public service, also served as the Governor of Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Goa, and Meghalaya during his career. He was notably at the helm of Jammu and Kashmir during the historic abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, exactly six years before his death.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media, stating:
“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.”
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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2025
Born in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, and belonging to the influential Jat community, Malik began his political journey in the mid-1960s inspired by the socialist ideas of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia. Over the decades, he was associated with multiple political parties, reflecting his ideological evolution.
In the 1980s, he briefly joined the Congress and served as general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. Elected to the Rajya Sabha during this period, he later resigned from the party in 1987 over the Bofors scandal. He went on to become one of the founding members of Jan Morcha, which later merged into Janata Dal.
In 2004, Malik joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and rose to become its national vice-president in 2012. He was also part of Prime Minister Modi’s core political team during the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign.
Malik was appointed Governor of Bihar in 2017. In August 2018, he assumed the role of Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and played a pivotal part during a turbulent chapter in the region’s history. He was later transferred to Goa in October 2019 and subsequently to Meghalaya in 2020, where he served until his retirement on October 4, 2022.
Satya Pal Malik’s contributions to Indian politics, spanning across ideological lines and geographical regions, will be remembered for their significance and impact.
