New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- In late May, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet against 79-year-old Satyapal Malik, accusing the former Jammu & Kashmir governor of receiving bribes for awarding a Rs.2,200 crore contract to build a hydro-electric project in Kishtwar. Ironically, the case first came to light after Malik went public about offers of bribery to the governor's office in October, 2021. Three years later, the whistleblower became an accused, one of the many dramatic transitions and controversies that became a recurring theme in the last years of the veteran politician's life.

Malik died at 1.12pm on Tuesday in Delhi after a prolonged illness. Coincidentally, the day also marked the anniversary of the abrogation ...