[2] Jagmohan Malhotra was born in a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family to Amir Chand and Dropadi Devi on 25 September 1927 in Hafizabad, British India.

During the Emergency (1975–77), Sanjay Gandhi entrusted Jagmohan with the "beautification" of Delhi, a task that involved large-scale demolition of slums.

[5][6][7] In Jammu and Kashmir, Jagmohan is credited with bringing order to one of the most revered shrines of Hindus, called Mata Vaishno Devi.

In 1990, when militancy re-exploded in Kashmir, Jagmohan was re-appointed its governor by Prime Minister V. P. Singh's led Janta Dal government.

When the BJP's Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister in 1998, Jagmohan served in his cabinet in a variety of portfolios, including communications, urban development and tourism.

For a series of innovations of this genre, good management skills, and for "his meritorious services to the country" he was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1977.

As Implementation Commissioner, and later as vice-chairman, Delhi Development Authority, Jagmohan executed various Parliament approved schemes of Clearance-cum-Resettlement-cum-Redevelopment, which critics called demolition drives.

Jagmohan was one of the founders of the Samkalp Foundation which provides civil services examination coaching to poor and marginal students along with accommodation and other facilities.