SC to hear Mayawati's assets case

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has placed before the Supreme Court the records from a debate in Parliament to counter the allegations of CBI that there was ample evidence to prosecute her in a case of alleged disproportionate assets.

The BSP supremo, who alleged the case lodged against her in 2003 was politically motivated, has placed certain documents which forms part of Parliament record during the debate on confidence motion in July 2008 to refute the contentions of the investigating agency.

"We procured those papers from Parliament and have placed it before the apex court," Additional Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh Shail Kumar Dwivedi said.

The matter is listed for hearing on Friday before a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan.

The CBI, during the earlier hearing, had said the chargesheet in the case was ready for filing before a competent court.

Dwivedi, during the earlier hearing on July 13, had said an affidavit has also to be filed by the then BSP MP in Lok Sabha Brajesh Pathak who participated in the debate in Parliament and made a reference to meeting with a person claiming to be CBI official.

He had claimed Pathak, now a Rajya Sabha MP, was handed over some papers, which was part of record of the agency's investigation into the disproportionate assets case, by a person purporting to be a CBI official.

He had further claimed those documents show the case was not made out against the Chief Minister and the MP was promised to be obliged if the government was saved. CBI, in its fresh affidavit filed in July last, had said "the competent authority has already taken a decision to file the final report under section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the designated trial court."

CBI counsel had said there has not been any change in its stand to what the apex court was informed on January 12, 2009 when it had said there was enough evidence to prosecute Mayawati in the case.

The agency had pointed out that Mayawati's declared assets of Rs 1 crore in 2003 went up to Rs 50 crore in 2007 and said there was "ample evidence" to show she had amassed wealth disproportionate to her known sources of income.

Mayawati has claimed that she had received the money through donations from party workers including meagre sums of Rs five and Rs 10, which they contributed on her birthday.