The post had fallen vacant after Ram Nath Kovind was nominated as BJP's presidential candidate and West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi had been holding the additional charge of Bihar during the interim period.
Malik was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of the Patna High Court Justice Rajendra Menon, in presence of a host of dignitaries including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, state legislative assembly Speaker Vijay Chaudhary and legislative council Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh.
He got elected from Aligarh Lok Sabha constituency on a Janata Dal ticket in 1989. He also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms.