CBI asks I-T dept to look into assets of Mulayam's son, wife

The agency has referred the details of these properties to Income Tax dept

After closing the disproportionate assets probe against Mulayam Singh Yadav, CBI has asked the Income Tax department to probe into alleged benami properties acquired by the Samajwadi Party leader's wife Sadhna in the name of her son Prateek.

CBI sources said at least four properties in Lucknow and believed to be in the tune of crores have been mentioned by the agency in its letter to the Income Tax department.

The agency while closing the disproportionate assets enquiry against Yadav, his sons Akhilesh and Prateek had mentioned that these benami properties acquired by Sadhna in the name of Prateek when he was a minor have not been found to have any links with the SP leader and his family members.

The sources said agency has referred these details of these properties to Income Tax as these properties may involve taxation issues which are in the domain of the I-T department.

They said after completion of inquiry against Yadav, acquisition of properties was noticed on part of Sadhna in the name of Prateek. This information has been forwarded to the department for necessary action.

CBI had closed the preliminary enquiry against Yadav and his family members on the account of "grossly insufficient evidence".

The agency has registered a preliminary enquiry in 2007 against Yadav, Akhilesh, Dimple Yadav and Prateek after the orders of Supreme Court on the plea of Vishwanath Chaturvedi.

The combined disproportionate assets of the Yadav family was found to be in the tune of Rs 2.63 crore. In December 2012, the Supreme Court directed that income, assets and expenditure pertaining to Dimple Yadav should be excluded from other family members as she was not a public official till 2005.

After the order, a fresh look was taken on the probe which showed that there was not enough evidence to pursue disproportionate assets case against Yadav, sources said.