SC reserves judgment in assets case against Mulayam

New Delhi, Feb 13 (UNI) The Supreme Court today reserved its judgment on a PIL seeking a CBI inquiry into the huge assets acquired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members disproportionate to their known sources of income by allegedly misusing his official position as Chief Minister.

Senior counsel K T S Tulsi, appearing for the petitioner Vishwanath Chaturvedi, contended that even a CBI inquiry may not be able to ''penetrate the iron veil insulating the high-ups and top politicians against probe and prosecution in their acts of corruption'' and demanded the appointment of an independent counsel on the lines of procedures set by Supreme Court of the United States.

Mr Tulsi also submitted before the court that the top US court evolved the concept of the appointment of independent counsel during the inquiry into the Watergate scandal involving then US president Richard Nixon and then in another case against President Bill Clinton.

According to the procedure adopted by Supreme Court of the United States, an independent counsel has to submit his report within 30 days and it has the power to summon and prosecute the suspects in the case.

Mr Tulsi submitted before the bench comprising Justices A R Lakshmanan and Altamas Kabir that the ''tune of CBI changes with the change of party in power and the investigation becomes tardy''.

The apex court has expressed its anguish and disgust with the CBI inquiry in many high-profile cases such as the corruption case involving former UP chief minister Mayawati and others, he added.

The senior counsel also pleaded that the apex court will have to evolve some effective measures to check rampant corruption among politicians and ''the veil providing immunity to these politicians against corruption must be penetrated to check corruption which has assumed alarming proportions in the country''.

He also submitted photographs of the properties of Mr Yadav and his family members, including his MP son Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav, Mulayam's son from his first wife Prateek Yadav and the wife of Mr Yadav Malti Yadav.

Mr Tulsi said by spending Rs 1.3 crore the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has acquired property worth over Rs 100 crore in various parts of the state, including his home district Etawah and state capital Lucknow.

Earlier, senior counsel Harish Salve appearing for Mulyam Singh, however, denied the allegations as ''vague and baseless''.

Mr Salve contended that at the time when the said properties were acquired Mr Yadav was not chief minister.

The properties were acquired in 1998 and 1999 when Mayawati was in power, he added.

The verdict assumes significance as the state is heading for the assembly elections soon.

Mr Yadav had dismissed the petition as ''politically motivated'', describing the pertitioner '' an active Congress worker''.

UNI