JOIN USSC notice to Maya, CBI in assets case
The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Centre and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a fresh plea seeking a probe against former Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati for alleged possession of assets disproportionate to her known sources of income.
A bench presided by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, however, wondered if the CBI had to wait for a court order.
The apex court in an order on July 6, 2012, quashed an FIR registered by the CBI against the BSP leader. The court on August 8 declined to review its previous order.
The court had then said its direction to the CBI was confined to probe an outflow of Rs 17 crore in the Taj Heritage Corridor Project and not related to any other issue.
Agreeing to hear a fresh petition filed by UP resident Kamlesh Verma, the bench also issued a notice to Mayawati seeking her reply in four weeks.
The court brushed aside a contention from senior advocate S C Mishra, representing Mayawati, who claimed that the issue has been raised just before elections for political purpose as it was done in 2009.
Senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for Verma, submitted that the CBI had not done anything after the apex court’s order which stated the probe agency was free to take an independent view on the matter.
“Have we not clarified in our order? We thought the CBI can’t depend on court’s order (for probe)…It is not duty of the court. We are going to examine the issue,” the bench said, issuing notice to the Centre and UP government.
The apex court had in 2012 pulled up the CBI for exceeding its jurisdiction and said there was no occasion for it to register the FIR on October 5, 2003, after an order issued by the apex court while hearing the Taj Heritage Corridor project case. In his petition, Verma contended that despite enough materials, the CBI decided to close its probe against Mayawati.