By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday deferred by six weeks the hearing of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s plea to stall her prosecution by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly owing properties worth Rs.50 crore (Rs.500 million), far exceeding her legal income.
A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice P. Sathashivam and Justice J.M. Panchal deferred the hearing after her counsel submitted that she wanted to file some additional documents to demonstrate how the CBI and the union government were trying to implicate her in the corruption case.
Counsel Shail Dwiwedi told the bench that the documents have to be procured from parliament for which his client needed at least two months.
The court, however, adjourned the matter for six weeks.
Earlier last week, the CBI in an affidavit told the apex court that it had completed its probe into the case and was ready to file the charge sheet against Mayawati before the appropriate court.
The CBI also said that by approaching the apex court she was trying to delay the filing of the charge sheet against her and thus stall her prosecution.
The CBI accused Mayawati of making “baseless” allegations of harassment and humiliation against the investigative agency.
“It is the petitioner who does not want conclusion of the investigation and at the same time is baselessly alleging harassment and humiliation due to the ongoing probe. The so-called delay in conclusion of the probe of the case has been caused by the petitioner herself,” the CBI said.
The CBI alleged that the assets shown by her during Akbarpur parliamentary polls in 2003 were worth over Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million) while the assets increased to over Rs.50 crore (Rs.500 million) in her declaration papers submitted during the 2007 assembly polls.
The CBI registered a first information report (FIR) against Mayawati Oct 5, 2003, after the apex court ordered the agency to investigate Rs.175 crore (Rs.175 billion) Taj Heritage Corridor scam.