Assets case: SC gives Maya 4 weeks to reply to CBI claim

The Supreme Court on Monday granted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati four more weeks to file her response to the CBIs...

The Supreme Court on Monday granted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati four more weeks to file her response to the CBIs contention of having enough evidence against her to proceed in a disproportionate assets (DA) case against her. Mayawati has maintained that the case is politically motivated.

Uttar Pradeshs Additional Advocate General Shail Kumar Dwivedi seeking more time from a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan prayed that the matter might be deferred for hearing so that a counter-affidavit could be filed to the CBI affidavit.

Acceding to the plea of the states counsel,the Bench,also comprising Justices P Sathasivam and R M Lodha,posted the matter for further directions after four weeks.

In May last year,Mayawati had filed a petition seeking quashing of criminal proceedings against her in the case contending it was registered due to political rivalry.

However,responding to the apex court notice,the investigating agency in July 2008 submitted that the Chief Minister had allegedly abused her office and amassed wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income.

The CBI,that registered a DA case against the BSP chief in 2003,alleged that the assets shown by her in the Akbarpur parliamentary constituency were worth over Rs 1 crore whereas the assets increased to over Rs 50 crore in her declaration papers submitted during the 2007 Assembly polls.

An FIR was registered against Mayawati on October 5,2003 after the Supreme Court had ordered the agency to investigate the Rs 175-crore Taj Heritage Corridor scam.

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Mayawati on her part has maintained that she had received money through donations from party workers which included meagre sums of Rs 5 and 10,which they contributed on her birthday. She even assailed CBI as a political tool,alleging it of indulging in character assassination.

In an earlier hearing,the Centre had said the two reports placed before the apex court by the CBI on September 18,2003 contained the issue relating to the assets.

They (Mayawati and others) are scared of what is coming out in public domain, the Government had said during a previous hearing. However,Mayawatis counsel had contended that the Centre was pressing for her prosecution as it was scared in view of the 2009 general elections.