Lucknow court to take up Taj Corridor case today

A Lucknow designated court will hear the Rs 175-crore Taj corridor case today in which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is an accused.

Lucknow, May 23 : A Lucknow designated court will hear the Rs 175-crore Taj corridor case today in which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is an accused.

Earlier, Judge Rekha Dikshit had deferred the case after one of the accused, former Uttar Pradesh Environment Principal Secretary R K Sharma, questioned the competence of the court to seek sanction for prosecution against public servants.

The Taj Corridor case involves the decision to build a corridor around the heritage monument in disregard of the guidelines laid down by the Environment Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was directed by the court in February to produce the Governor's sanction for prosecution of the public servants - Mayawati and five other officials - accused in the case.

The CBI did not file Uttar Pradesh Governor TV Rajeshwar's sanction for her prosecution.

The CBI probed the case over the past three years, under direct monitoring by the Supreme Court. In November 2006, it set aside the CBI's status report seeking closure of the case.

The CBI is awaiting the Governor's sanction to go ahead with the prosecution of Mayawati and five others, including former State Environment Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, under Secretary Rajendra Prasad and Additional General Manager of NBCC Mahendra Sharma.

ANI