The Supreme Court granted a reprieve to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the 175 crore Taj Corridor case, refusing to direct the state governor T V Rajeshwar to sanction her prosecution in the case. In his June 3 order, Governor Rajeshwar had refused to grant sanction to prosecute Mayawati, holding there was no prima facie case and that corruption and forgery charges against the BSP supremo would “not stand scrutiny.” The CBI needed the governor’s sanction to proceed against Mayawati. The Supreme Court special bench headed by Justice SB Sinha rejected this latest application on the ground that the matter was beyond its purview.

The Taj Corridor project was first put forward in 2001 by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the German Technical cooperation, a consultancy firm. It proposed to give a facelift to the areas surrounding Agra’s major monuments along the Yamuna by setting up a heritage corridor covering five historical monuments, including Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Ram Bagh, Itmad-ud-Daula’s tomb and Chini ka Rauza. Included in the venture was a blueprint for a swanky shopping mall. However, the whole plan was in disregard of the guidelines laid down by the Environment Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The grandiose scheme fell to pieces, when it came under media scrutiny in mid-June 2003. Since then the CBI has been attempting to nail the accused, with little success.

Via: Times of India, Andhranews
Image: TimesofIndia