Supreme Court to hear PIL against Mayawati

New Delhi, June 29 (ANI): A vacation bench of the Supreme Court will take up a public interest litigation (PIL) filed against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for allegedly misusing public money for installing statues of prominent Dalit leaders like Dr B R Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram besides party symbols.

The PIL seeks a stay on the inauguration of these statues on July 3.

The petitioner has alleged that the multi crore projects of installing statues are being carried out as a state policy, which is arbitrary and violates Article 14 of the Constitution.

sixty statues of the elephant, the party symbol of the BSP, have been installed at a cost of Rs 52.20 crore.The PIL also seeks the removal of Mayawati statues and all party symbols from public places.

Delhi based lawyer Ravi Kanta, who filed the PIL, said every action taken by the Uttar Pradesh government must be seen to be in the public interest. The arbitra actions of the state government must be invalidated he added.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, her Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) and the state's Chief Secretary have been named as the respondents in the PIL. A vacation bench of the apex court comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A K Ganguly will hear the case today.(ANI)