UP opposition seeks Mulayam's resignation

Lucknow, Mar 1: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress today demanded immediate resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav after the Supreme Court this morning ordered a CBI probe into the disproportionate assets (DA) case against the CM and his family members.

BJP state president Keshri Nath Tripathi reacting to the SC order said now Mr Yadav had no moral right to continue in the office as he and his family members have been charged with amassing properties without any source of income.

Mr Tripathi, welcoming the SC decision, said the BJP had always favoured a high-level probe into any case of corruption against any politicians.

Congress state unit vice-president in charge of organisation Satyadev Tripathi, also welcoming the SC decision, said the CM should step down immediately to honour the apex court verdict.

The SC directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary investigation into the alleged disproportionate assets of Mr Yadav and his family members.

Issuing the directions on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one Viswanath Chaturvedi, a bench comprising Justices A R Lakshamanan and Altamas Kabir, observed: ''It would subserve the public interest, morality and the Chief Minister's interest as well to have such a probe.''

On February 13 last, the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on the PIL seeking directions to the Central Bureau of Investigation to initiate criminal proceedings against the CM and his family members for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income. During the hearing, the bench heard senior counsel K T S Tulsi, appearing for petitioner Chaturvedi, an advocate; and senior counsels Harish Salve, Ashok Desai and Rohinton Nariman for Mr Yadav and his two sons, who contended the petition was aimed at tarnishing the image of the Chief Minister at a time when the assembly elections were due.

In response to the court directions given in June last, the Income Tax department presented in sealed covers particulars of the IT returns submitted by the Chief Minister and his family members, and other documents.

Mr Chaturvedi also said in the court that he was in possession of copies of all sale deeds of the property purchased by Mr Yadav and his family members. He further charged that corruption had reached a ''monstrous dimension in UP''. Its tentacles started spreading even to the office of the Chief Minister, he said.

The petitioner said he had on June 21, 2005 met Governor T V Rajeswar and requested him to initiate action against Mr Yadav and his family but nothing happened. On November 6 the same year, he presented a memorandum to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil but nothing came out of it.

Hence through this petition, the SC must issue directions to Mr Patil to register cases against Mr Yadav and his family members under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and to prosecute them, he added.

Placing his point, Mr Tulsi said the IT department would be concerned only with the source of income and whether tax was paid on it or not. Only an independent agency or the CBI could, on court directions, determine the question of disproportionate assets.

''Let the court direct the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the assets'', he asserted.

Now after the CBI probe being ordered, the investigating agency will register the First Information Report (FIR) while the agency might also interrogate the CM and his family members.

However, Mr Salve, defending the CM said the court should not entertain a PIL petition from political adversaries. The property mentioned in the petition was accounted for in the IT returns.

UNI