New Delhi, May 15
The Supreme Court today refused to pass any order on the petition filed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati seeking quashing of the CBI probe against her in the disproportionate asset case registered five years ago.

“We are not passing any interim order,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said and issued notices for

July 14 to the Centre and the CBI after hearing the counsel for the two sides who traded charges against each other.

While senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Mayawati, wanted that the investigating agency should be restrained from filing chargesheet or any report in the case, solicitor-general G E Vahanvati vehemently pressed that the CBI director be allowed to take a decision to file a report about the probe of the case before the apex court.

Salve alleged that entire inquiry was illegal against the Chief Minister and the case was foisted against her for political reasons.

However, Vahanvati contended that the case was registered against her as per the apex court direction and Mayawati had made representations at all levels, including the Prime Minister against the case as she was scared of the outcome of the investigation.

“They (Mayawati and others) are scared as to what is coming out in the public domain,” the solicitor-general said.

However, Salve shot back saying “the Centre was scared in view of the 2009 general elections”.

Leaving no time, Vahanvati said, “I am scared of the declining standard in public life”.CBI had registered the FIR against Mayawati on October 5, 2003, after the apex court had ordered the agency to investigate the Rs-175 crore Taj Heritage Corridor Scam.

The Bahujan Samaj Party chief contended that the FIR lodged against her was illegal as no sanction was taken from the state and the agency had misinterpreted the apex court order, which only directed investigation into the Taj corridor case.

However, Vahanvati said the two reports placed before the apex court by the CBI on September 18, 2003 contained the issue relating to the assets.

He submitted that Mayawati had been participating in the inquiry since 2005 and could have been concluded by 2006 but the Chief Minister was making representation one after another and even to the Prime Minister.

In the petition, the BSP chief alleged that the investigating agency was used by the Centre to secure political ends and probe against her was aimed at “character Assassination”.

“Lodging the FIR and investigating into her assets is beyond the purview of the Taj corridor case and is a direct onslaught on her fundamental rights,” she said in her petition adding that “Keeping the sword of investigation hanging has seriously impaired her political journey”.

“The premier investigation agency has unfortunately been used as a tool by the Central government, by lodging the illegal FIR, so as to harass her and proceeding of which are creating obstruction in smooth running of the government in the state,” she said.

“The present ongoing investigation against the petitioner (Mayawati) is nothing but her character assassination and therefore, smacks of malafides on the part of the CBI,” the petition said. — PTI