SC rejects CBI closure report

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati faces prospect of criminal action in the Taj Heritage Corridor (THC) case with the Supreme Cou...

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati faces prospect of criminal action in the Taj Heritage Corridor (THC) case with the Supreme Court indicating on Monday that report of the investigating officer (IO) alone should be considered, not the CBI’s ‘‘closure’’ report of the case against her as per the advice of Attorney General Milon Banerjee.

A bench of Justices Ruma Pal, S B Sinha and S H Kapadia sternly told the Centre to produce the report of the IO, holding that there was prima facie case against Mayawati. The CBI had said that there was no case. When Mayawati’s counsel, K K Venugopal, argued that once the closure report in a criminal case was filed, no court or magistrate could order the police to ‘‘take a particular view’’, the apex bench shot back that the IO’s report alone should be taken up for consideration in the case.

After the Supreme Court directed the CBI on July 16, 2003 to conduct an enquiry into the execution of the Taj Heritage Corridor project within the protected Taj Trapezium Zone at Agra, the investigating agency had said that during the time Mayawati had been a public servant—as chief minister and as MP and MLA—she had acquired huge movable and immovable assets by corrupt or illegal means in her name as well as in the name of her family members and close associates disproportionate to her known sources of income.

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The CBI registered two FIRs on October 5, 2003 in connection with irregularities in the THC case and her disproportionate income. It listed in detail Mayawati’s various properties and bank accounts and put the Bahujan Samaj Party leader’s worth at Rs 60 crore.

Earlier, Venugopal pro duced a copy of The Indian Express carrying a story on the CVC ‘‘secret’’ report recommending action against Mayawati. He said a copy of the report should be made available to him for defence. Amicus curiae in the case, Krishan Mahajan, too said that he did not have copy of the report.

Anjana Krishna, IPS officer who stood firm against Ajit Pawar, is no stranger to overcoming setbacks

Anjana Krishna, who stood against Ajit Pawar, is no stranger to overcoming setbacks

India5 hr ago

Maharashtra-cadre IPS officer Anjana Krishna V S, who was in the news for being “reprimanded” by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar while taking action over alleged illegal mining, grew up on the outskirts of an area of Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district that has become notorious for the illegal granite mining.

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