The Supreme Court on Monday granted six weeks time to the petitioner, Vishwanath Chaturvedi, to file his response to the counter affidavit filed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members on a PIL seeking a CBI inquiry into the assets acquired by them beyond known sources of income.
A Bench comprising Justice C K Thakker and Lokeshwar Singh Panta granted the time to the petitioner who has contended that Yadav has acquired assets worth about Rs 100 crores and several Samajwadi Party MPs have contributed from their MPLAD funds to the private colleges being run by his family members in Etah.
According to the petitioner, Yadav, his son Akhilesh Kumar Singh, MP, and his first wife are liable to be prosecuted for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1981 as the assets have been acquired by the respondents through corrupt means by misusing his official status as UP chief minister.
Yadav, in his reply, has, however, denied all the allegations as baseless -- 'as the same are politically motivated'.
The petition has been filed just to malign his political reputation as the petitioner is an active Congress party member, he said.
He also contended that the writ petition is not maintainable as no fundamental right of the petitioner has been violated and hence he has no locus standi to file the same.
Yadav has already filed his income tax and wealth tax returns from year 2000 to 2006 in the court in a sealed cover. The petitioner has also moved an application seeking directions to open up the sealed cover and make it public.
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