Satyapal Malik, 79, former Jammu and Kashmir governor passed away at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after a prolonged illness, his personal secretary KS Rana confirmed.
Malik had been undergoing treatment for kidney-related complications in recent weeks.
Earlier on June 8, Satyapal Malik had shared a health update on social media, describing his condition as “serious.”
A day prior, the veteran politician posted on X that he had been hospitalised for the past month and was undergoing treatment for kidney-related issues.
He died at 1.12 pm at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi.
According to the hospital statement, Malik was admitted to the hospital on May 11 at 12.04 pm with a complicated urinary tract infection. He subsequently developed refractory septic shock secondary to urinary tract infection, hospital-acquired pneumonia and multi-organ dysfunction.
"Despite all appropriate and aggressive medical interventions, including multiple antibiotics and cytosorb 2 sessions, including ventilatory support and critical care management, his condition continued to deteriorate," it said.
"He also developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and acute kidney injury on chronic kidney disease, needing multiple hemodialysis sessions. Malik sadly passed away on 5 August 2025 at 1:12 pm," the statement said.
Malik was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018 to October 30, 2019.
He was also the governor when the Pulwama terror attack claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
Malik started his political journey as a student leader and was elected an MLA of Chaudhary Charan Singh's Bharatiya Kranti Dal in 1974. He served as a Rajya Sabha MP and later as Janata Dal's Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh. In the coming years, he switched to the Congress, then to the Lok Dal and then to Samajwadi Party.
"The news of the passing of the vocal voice of the country's farmers and former Governor Shri Satyapal Singh Malik Ji is extremely saddening," said Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on X.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed her condolences over the former governor's death.
"Saddened by the demise of Satya Pal Malik ji, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, who became famous in Indian politics by uttering some truths, which few dare to do. Satya Pal ji spoke bravely in support of Indian farmers' protests and in support of some unpleasant truth involved in case of the Pulwama attack. Such courage deserves our salute, and I offer that salute again, today. May his soul rest in peace," the TMC leader said on X.
