The CBI on Friday questioned former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik for the second time to seek more clarifications on allegations that he was offered bribe to clear two files ignoring irregularities in government employees’ insurance and a power project.
A CBI team arrived around 11.45 am on Friday at the Som Vihar residence of Satya Pal Malik in R K Puram area of the national capital to seek clarifications on his claims about irregularities and left a few hours later, CBI sources said.
A week ago, former BJP leader Malik, who has been raising allegations against PM Narendra Modi on corruption, Pulwama terror attack and other issues, publicly stated that the CBI had issued summons against him seeking “certain clarifications”. Since he was busy, he had suggested his availability now for presenting himself before the agency for giving clarifications.
Malik is a “witness” in the two cases CBI filed in April, last year, to probe allegations that he was offered ₹300 crore bribe to clear files in which an RSS leader was also interested.
Irregular contracts
In one case, the CBI booked Anil Ambani’s Reliance General Insurance Company and Trinity Reinsurance Brokers Ltd as accused to investigate the award of the contract of J&K Employees Health Care Insurance Scheme to private entities and release of about ₹60 crore advance payment in the year 2017-18.
The agency separately registered another FIR to investigate alleged irregularities in awarding a contract worth ₹2,200 crore for carrying out civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project (HEP) to Patel Engineering Ltd in 2019.
Under CBI scanner are IAS officer Naveen Choudhary, the then chairman of Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd (CVPPPL), and its Managing Director MS Babu, and directors MK Mittal and Arun Mishra, besides others.