Observing that “no Tom, Dick and Harry” but someone at “the highest level” must have allowed work on construction of memorials in violation of its orders, the Supreme Court today warned the Mayawati government not to treat the court as a “political adversary” and “don’t play politics as you do with other political parties”.

As senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, countered the arguments of A M Singhvi, counsel for petitioner Mithilesh Singh and others, the bench of Justices B N Agrawal and Aftab Alam said: “Don’t behave like political adversaries in court. You don’t play politics as you do with other political parties in the Assembly.”

Telling Salve and S C Mishra, close aide of Mayawati and also representing the government, to “be objective” in arguments and submissions, the bench said: “Don’t treat this court as your political adversary as (though) you have some points to score.”

The bench was hearing petitions seeking its intervention in the spending of public money by the UP government in construction of memorials of Dalit leaders, including the CM, across the state.

On the violation of its orders, the bench pulled up the state, saying “it is not behaving like a prudent government by continuing to carry out construction.” It reminded the government that “democracy” and not “majorityism” should survive as the Constitution was supreme and court directions should be obeyed.

It refused to accept the state argument that there was some “confusion”. The bench specifically asked Mishra: “Specify the names and designations of officers who violated the order. No Tom, Dick and Harry would have given the instructions. It would have come from the highest level. It is a very serious matter.”

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