Evidence found against Maya: CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday night said it had found assets worth Rs15 crore in the name of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati and her close relatives during raids conducted in connection with the Taj Heritage Corridor case.

The searches in Lucknow, Khurja, Bulandshahar (all three in UP) and Delhi came two days after the CBI filed a first information report under section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1998.

The searches revealed documents relating to the purchase of properties in Delhi and parts of UP between April 1, 1995, and August 29, 2003.

Mayawati had resigned as CM on August 27, 2003.

In the FIR, the CBI said that Mayawati had disclosed her income as only Rs1.12 crore during the period whereas her bank balance in two accounts at Parliament Street and Moti Bagh (in Delhi) alone amounted to Rs2.51 crore.

The FIR also said that she had purchased a plot in Lucknow in March 2003 in the name of her Bahujan Samaj Party for Rs45.75 lakh. This property was transferred to her name on August 8, 2003.

By then, the Taj controversy had picked up momentum and the Supreme Court had directed the CBI to go after the "high and mighty" responsible for spoiling the environment around the 17th century monument.

Another dealing was about 5.15 hectares of land purchased in Gyaspur, Bulandshahar, for Rs33 lakh in the name of her brother Annad Kumar.

The FIR also claimed that the ex-CM had fixed deposits and cash certificates worth Rs 1.80 crore.

The scrutiny of the bank accounts of her relatives, including her father, mother, brothers and sister-in-law, had revealed a balance of Rs2.39 crore besides a fixed deposit worth Rs74 lakh in the name of her brother Raj Kumar and his wife, the FIR said, adding they "do not have any means to have such huge deposits".

Earlier, Mayawati described the raids as "politically motivated" and said the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee "will regret this decision".

She said the BJP would be routed in the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh.

She asked the PM to institute an inquiry against his foster daughter Namita and son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya, who have "huge properties" at several places, including Nainital.

She also alleged that the land for these properties had been bought at "dirt cheap prices".

"This inquiry should not be conducted by the CBI but by independent people," she said and accused the PM of misusing official machinery to settle political scores.

She said the CBI officials "even searched the dustbin in my office and took out the waste papers inside" to see whether anything incriminating was there.