The Supreme Court has asked the Union government to clearly spell out its stand whether it wanted to proceed against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the disproportionate assets case or not.
A Bench, comprising Justices B. Sudershan Reddy and S.S. Nijjar, gave six weeks to the Centre and the CBI to file their response to Ms. Mayawati's petition that sought quashing of the proceedings.
During the resumed hearing on Monday, when counsel for the Centre pleaded for adjournment to file the response, Justice Reddy told him, “What is this? Every time, you seek time or an adjournment. Sometimes, you seek time for filing reply, then you say that you want to file a counter-affidavit then you say that you want to file an affidavit. If both of you [Centre and Ms. Mayawati] are together then let this petition go.”
ADVERTISEMENT
In her petition, Ms. Mayawati accused the CBI of harassing her by filing the disproportionate assets cases. She said while the former Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, was let off by the CBI without filing any appeal in the income-tax case, she was being targeted for political reasons.
She contended that the CBI had neither the authority nor the jurisdiction to initiate any proceedings, including filing of First Information Report, against her in the DA case.
ADVERTISEMENT
She pointed out that once the main Rs. 17 cr. Taj corridor case had come to an end and it was conclusively proved that she had no role to play in the case, the CBI should have dropped the case immediately. However, in a most illegal and arbitrary manner, simply to harass and defame her, the CBI had illegally and under political pressure been continuing the DA case till date.
Ms. Mayawati said the CBI and income-tax authorities not only went ahead to investigate the income during 2002-2003 to which the Taj case related but even went back from the assessment years 1998-99 onwards for re-opening the assessment proceedings.