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Supreme Court notice to U.P. on “funds diversion”

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Taking note of the serious allegation that public funds meant for development were misused for erecting statues of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to her and the State government, seeking their response in four weeks.

A vacation Bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice A.K. Ganguly recorded the allegations of petitioner Ravi Kant and asked the respondents to show cause.

Senior counsel Satish Chandra Mishra, appearing for the State, opposed issue of notice, describing the PIL as “political interest litigation,” and denied any diversion of funds.

He pointed out that even before the petition came up for hearing, the petitioner had gone to the press. He denied the charge that the statues were unveiled in a hurry. He said the issue of notice at this stage would open a larger issue relating to the use of public land and made a selective reference to the Teen Murti Bhavan in the capital, claiming that the land itself would cost more than Rs. 5,000 crore.

Justice Bhandari told counsel: “We are not concerned with the personalities involved. We are concerned only with the allegation of diversion of funds. You file your response.”

The petitioner alleged that the total money used by Ms. Mayawati, from the budget for 2008-09 and 2009-10, for such projects was Rs. 2,000 crore. He said, according to the information obtained under the Right to Information Act, 60 statues of elephant, the election symbol of Ms. Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, were installed at a cost of Rs. 52.20 crore by misusing public funds. Such expenditure violated the various circulars of the Election Commission. Senior counsel U.U. Lalit, appearing for the State government, said there was no diversion of funds.

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