SC notice on plea seeking CBI probe into Mayawati's assets

The Supreme Court Friday issued notice on a plea seeking registration of a complaint and investigation by the CBi into the alleged disproportionate assets of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam issued notice as counsel Shanti Bhushan told the court that the earlier first information report (FIR) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was quashed by the apex court as it had held it was filed in the absence of any direction from it.

The public interest litigation (PIL) alleged that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati amassed huge unexplained wealth totally disproportionate to her known sources of income by abusing her position as chief minister.

The court was told that petitioner Kamlesh Verma was seeking specific directions to the CBI so as to overcome the technical hindrance that led to the quashing of the FIR in the case against Mayawati.

Brushing aside objections by counsel Satish Mishra who appeared for Mayawati, the court issued notice to the central government, CBI, Uttar Pradesh government and Mayawati.

The notice are returnable within four weeks.

Counsel Mishra told the court that the entire material proving innocence of Mayawati was with the investigating agency and urged the court to ask the CBI to place before it the material of its earlier investigation.

Mishra said petitioner Kamlesh Verma was a political person who contested an election against the BSP and the PIL was not a public interest litigation but a "political interest litigation".

However, the unimpressed court asked him if he was accepting the notice on behalf of his client Mayawati.

The apex court by its July 6, 2012, order had quashed the CBI's FIR holding that by its order in Taj Corridor case, it has not allowed the investigating agency to undertake roving inquiry against the BSP leader.

The petitioner said he had moved the court for the prosecution of Mayawati who was found to be possessing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income following investigation by the CBI.

He said the outcome of CBI's investigation be taken to its logical conclusion.

The PIL said that mere quashing of FIR on technical grounds could not come in the way of application of the law.

The PIL said it was seeking the intervention of the top court "to undo the wrong that has been done by the politically controlled investigating agencies of the country, in an attempt to protect a high profile political person like Mayawati".