HC dismisses petition against Mayawati in Taj Heritage Corridor project

Lucknow, May 27: The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition, pending against former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and former cabinet minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui relating to the Taj Heritage Corridor (THC) case.

Justice Vishnu Chandra Gupta of the HC's Lucknow bench passed the judgment yesterday on a criminal revision petition filed by two persons of Etawah district in 2009, challenging the June 5, 2007 order of the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption (central), Lucknow.

The trial court had refused to take cognisance against Mayawati and Siddiqui for lack of prosecution sanction. The then Governor, UP, T V Rajeswar had refused to accord saction for prosecution of Mayawati and Siddiqui in the case. [Taj Corridor now an animal graveyard, garbage dump]

"The defect has not been removed by the revisionist. The delay occurred in filing the criminal revision has also not been properly explained", the court said.

"The revisionists have neither filed the certified copy of the impugned order in spite of the time granted by this Court nor have they applied for the same before filing the present defective criminal revision. In view of above, this Court is of the view that in the attending circumstances, suo motu powers conferred under section 397 need not to be invoked by this Court," the Judge added.

Hence, the petition is dismissed, the court said. In 2002, Mayawati had launched the corridor project to beautify areas near the Taj Mahal.

A year later, the Supreme Court had directed CBI conduct an inquiry into the alleged scam in the Taj corridor project. The Taj Corridor project was intended to upgrade tourist facilities near the Taj Mahal and was to be implemented during Mayawati's tenure as Chief Minister.

PTI