Malik transferred to Goa; J&K, Ladakh, Mizoram get new governors

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has been transferred to Goa. Expenditure secretary Girish Chandra Murmu will come in his place, a Rashtrapati Bhawan statement said on Friday (October 25).

Murmu and former defence secretary Radha Krishna Mathur have been appointed as new Lieutenant Governors of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh respectively, the statement said.

Murmu, a 1985-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, worked closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his term as chief minister in Gujarat.

Mathur, a 1977-batch officer of Tripura cadre, has served as the defence secretary and was also a chief information commissioner (CIC).

While Murmu was set to retire from service in November this year, Mathur retired from the Central Information Commission (CIC) in November last year.

The two Union Territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh will come into existence on October 31.

The Modi government had on August 5 abrogated provisions of Article 370 that granted a special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into union territories.

Malik will move to Goa for the remainder of his tenure as the governor. He was first appointed governor of Bihar in September 2017 and later shifted to Jammu and Kashmir last year in August. Malik succeeds Mridula Sinha, who completed her five-year tenure in August this year but continued to hold the post till October 23.

In another order, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief and Centre-appointed interlocutor to Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma has been moved to Lakshadweep as the administrator, as per an order issued by the Union Home Ministry.

BJP Kerala unit president P S Sreedharan Pillai has been appointed as the new governor of Mizoram, the Rashtrapati Bhawan statement added.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has been holding the additional charge of Mizoram.
Malik will take over charge in Goa where Mridula Sinha is serving.

(With inputs from agencies)