New Delhi:
The CBI is likely to close its investigations into alleged corruption by politician Mayawati after the Supreme Court called it illegal, agency sources say.
This comes days after the agency closed its probe against Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, citing 'grossly insufficient evidence'.
The court had earlier ruled that the CBI had exceeded its brief by filing a case of alleged illegal wealth against Mayawati and said it would not be re-opened, in what came as a huge relief to the four-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister who heads the Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP.
Mayawati does not participate in the ruling coalition at the Centre but her party props up the minority government from outside, just like her Uttar Pradesh rival Mulayam Singh does.
The CBI has been investigating Mayawati for nearly nine years to determine whether her assets were disproportionate to her declared income. The inquiry began after allegations that a project to develop the areas around the Taj Mahal, commissioned when she was Chief Minister, was steeped in financial irregularities.
A man named Kamlesh Verma, who had sought the corruption investigation against the BSP chief, had asked the Supreme Court to review its verdict.