This Article is From Jun 28, 2009

Statue issue: SC to hear PIL against Mayawati

Statue issue: SC to hear PIL against Mayawati

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New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who has sparked off a controversy with her statue unveiling spree in Lucknow, will face scrutiny of the Supreme Court on Monday.

The apex court had fixed Monday for the hearing of a PIL which sought a CBI probe against Mayawati for "misusing" crores of rupees of public money for installing statues.

The BSP supremo unveiled 15 statues, which include that of party founder Kanshi Ram and herself on June 25, nine days ahead of the scheduled date July 3, after the apex court decided to hear the PIL challenging the Rs 52.20 crore project.

The PIL filed by Delhi-based advocate Ravi Kant is listed for hearing before a vacation bench comprising Justices
Dalveer Bhandari and A K Ganguly.

Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have launched a tirade against the Chief Minister for the project and has termed the unveiling of the statues as an attempt to pre-empt the Supreme Court from putting it on hold.

The PIL, which was filed mid this month, had sought to restrain Mayawati from installing her statues and party symbol in public places at the cost of the state exchequer and demanded a CBI probe into the issue.

The advocate, who filed the PIL, alleged that hundreds of crores of rupees of public money is being spent to "falsely glorify" the Chief Minister.

"The said activity is being carried out as a state policy, which is arbitrary and is violating Article 14 of the Constitution. 60 statues of elephant, party symbol of BSP, were installed at a cost of Rs 52.20 crore at public places by utilizing state funds," the petition alleged.

Giving details of the ongoing projects of installing the statutes in the state, the petitioner said,
"The expenditure of several crores of public money to fulfill the whims and fancies of an individual is against the principles of natural justice and fails the test of reasonableness."

The lawyer, who has made Mayawati along with her party and Chief Secretary of the state as respondents, said the state government should be directed to remove the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol 'elephant' from public areas.

"Every action taken by the government must be in public interest. The government cannot act arbitrarily and without reason and if it does, its action would be liable to be invalidated," Ravi Kant said in his petition.
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