Kiru hydropower corruption case: CBI files chargesheet against ex-guv Satyapal Malik, 7 others
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has filed a chargesheet against former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik and seven others in connection with alleged corruption in the award of Rs 2,200-crore civil works for Kiru hydropower project, officials said Thursday.
After three years of probe, the central agency submitted its findings in the chargesheet before a special court in Jammu.
In its chargesheet, the CBI has named Malik and his two aides Virender Rana and Kanwar Singh Rana, the officials said.
The other persons named in the chargesheet included the then Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd (CVPPPL) managing director M S Babu, its directors Arun Kumar Mishra and M K Mittal, managing director of construction firm Patel Engineering Ltd Rupen Patel and private person Kanwaljeet Singh Duggal, they said.
The agency has invoked Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Ranbir Penal Code and provisions of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act as the alleged crime took place before abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 when these archaic legal provisions in erstwhile state were replaced by Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.
Soon after the news of the chargesheet flashed, a photo of 79-year-old Malik was posted on his 'X' handle showing him lying in a hospital bed surrounded by an array of medical apparatus, including an intravenous infusion device and a ventilatory support system.
"I am getting calls from many of my well-wishers which I am unable to take. My condition is very bad right now. I am admitted in the hospital and am not in a condition to talk to anyone," the accompanying message read on 'X'.
When contacted, his private secretary Kanwar Singh Rana told PTI that the former governor is in critical condition in Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here.
"He is in RML Nursing Home since May 11 suffering from an infection. For the last three days he is on dialysis and in serious condition," Rana said.
He said the move of the CBI to chargesheet the "complainant (Malik)" is "sheer harassment".
"Last year also when he (Malik) was admitted in Max hospital, the CBI had conducted searches and now when he is admitted in hospital they have filed chargesheet against him. We (Rana and Malik) had told the CBI that we had nothing to do with any corruption," Rana said.
The CBI had conducted searches at the premises of Malik and others in connection with the case in February last year.
The case pertains to the alleged malpractices in the award of the contract worth about Rs 2,200 crore of civil works of the Kiru Hydro Electric Power (HEP) Project to a private company in 2019, the CBI had said after the registration of the FIR in 2022.
Malik, who was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018 to October 30, 2019, had claimed that he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files, including the one pertaining to the project.
He had denied allegations of corruption against him after the agency conducted search operation last year.
Malik said his residence was raided by the CBI instead of investigating the people he had complained about and who were involved in corruption.
"They will not get anything except 4-5 kurtas and pyjamas. The dictator is trying to scare me by misusing government agencies. I am a farmer's son, I will neither be afraid nor bow down," he had posted online.
The central agency had filed the FIR against Navin Kumar Choudhary, the then chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPPL), and other officials Babu, Mittal and Mishra, besides construction firm Patel Engineering Limited.
“Though a decision was taken in the 47th board meeting of CVPPPL for re-tender through e-tendering with a reverse auction after the cancellation of the ongoing tendering process, the same was not implemented (according to the decision taken in the 48th board meeting) and the tender was finally awarded to Patel Engineering Limited,” the FIR has alleged.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
