The Supreme Court cut former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's problems in half by quashing an FIR filed by CBI against her in a disproportionate assets case.
The apex court on Friday ruled in favour of Mayawati's petition, in which she sought for the cancellation of criminal proceedings against her accusing CBI officials of falsely implicating the ex-CM in an illegal assets case.
Noting that the probing agency have no material evidence against the BSP supremo, the Supreme Court ruled that the FIR against Mayawati will stand cancelled as the case met with a dead end. The CBI also admitted that they couldn't find "ample evidences" against her in the process of investigation.
"We are satisfied that we didn't issue any direction to probe alleged disproportionate assets of Mayawati between 1995-2003," the court said, according to media reports.
The apex court bench also observed that the CBI's move in filing an FIR against Mayawati was "unwarranted", and blamed the federal agency for not properly understanding its directions in Taj corridor case.
The erstwhile Mayawati-led cabinet has been accused of scam in implementing the Taj corridor project, which was intended to develop tourist facilities near the Taj Mahal.
Mayawati moved the court to extirpate the criminal proceeding against her in the 2008 DA case. She alleged that CBI was laying a trap to fix her in a false case. The BSP chief also alleged that the Central agency was used as an instrument by her rival political parties as a means to harm her political reputation.
Mayawati also urged the apex court bench to instruct the CBI to take a look at the Income Tax Department's report on her source of income. The department had given a clean chit to her saying that her income was genuine. The report by Income Tax Tribunal on Mayawati was upheld by the Delhi High Court.
Until now, the CBI is reluctant to close the illegal assets case against Mayawati on the bases of the Income Tax Department's claim.
