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SC raps CBI for delay in Taj Corridor scam
Our Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, September 11
Expressing dissatisfaction over the CBI’s line of probe into the Rs 175-crore Taj Heritage Corridor project allegedly sanctioned by the previous Mayawati government in violation of rules, the Supreme Court today directed the agency to identify the assets of the four persons named by it in its report and find out the end beneficiaries of Rs 17 crore released by the state.

Giving the CBI a week’s time to verify the assets of these four persons held “prima facie” responsible by the agency for sanctioning the project in violation of the rules and the court’s directions about the protection of environment around the Taj, a Bench comprising Mr Justice M.B. Shah and Mr Justice A.R. Lakshmanan told the agency’s counsel “you have proceeded in a different way while our directions were different.”

The Bench, which said it was not revealing the names at this stage, after perusing the CBI’s interim report on August 21 had directed the agency to verify the assets of “four, five or more persons”, whose names were indicated by it on that day.

“The money must have been paid by cheques (to those engaged in the work). You have to find where the Rs 17 crore have gone. The way you have been proceeding, it will take months to complete the investigation,” Mr Justice Shah said, adding that if the CBI had found nothing “it is a delay.”

Former Chief Minister Mayawati, Mr Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Environment Minister in her Cabinet, her private secretary P.L. Punia, former Chief Secretary B.S. Bagga, former Environment Secretary R.K. Sharma and Union Environment Secretary K.C. Mishra, were among those questioned by the agency during the investigation. Additional Solicitor-General Altaf Ahmed, appearing for the CBI, accused UP Government officials of not cooperating.

“The material (collected) is sufficient to prima facie go into the assets of these persons. If the CBI fails to do it, we may direct the National Project Construction Corporation and the UP Government to hold departmental inquiry against the officials,” which might fasten the investigation, the court said.

The project, providing for building a corridor between Taj Mahal and Agra Fort with shopping plazas and amusement parks, was allotted by the Mayawati government to the NPCC, a Union Government agency, which had given the same to some private contractors. The controversy ultimately resulted in the fall of her ministry.

Seeking more time, the CBI counsel said the 20 days’ time given by the court was not sufficient to finish the job as the agency officials had to go through documents and interrogate several persons.

He said the evidence collected by the agency so far in the two volume report, submitted today, had made out a “prima facie” case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against these persons.