Govt backs Mulayam's plea against CBI probe into assets

NEW DELHI: Ahead of Budget session in Parliament, the ruling coalition on Tuesday displayed a fresh understanding with the Samajwadi Party when it supported SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's plea for recall of a Supreme Court order for a CBI probe into his alleged disproportionate assets.

Arguing for the Centre, attorney general G E Vahanvati told a bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and H L Dattu that the court appeared to have erred in asking the CBI to probe the assets of Yadav and his relatives in the absence of any violation of fundamental rights of the citizens.

After the AG completed his arguments, senior advocate U U Lalit stood up on behalf of Yadav's son Prateek to oppose the CBI probe. But the bench summed up the scenario: "What the AG has said is that the court may direct a CBI probe when there is violation of fundamental rights of citizens. In fact, he has argued for you."

Lalit said: "We are grateful to the AG for having put the legal points in correct perspective." The court had ordered the probe on March 1, 2007, on a public interest litigation filed by Vishwanath Chaturvedi. Mulayam and his sons, Akhilesh and Prateek, had filed petitions through advocate Gaurav Bhatia seeking review of the 2007 judgment and recall of the CBI probe.

The Centre's stand completed the picture that began with CBI's flip-flop three years ago. The agency initially filed an application seeking permission to proceed against Yadav and his kin saying that it had enough proof. Months later, the agency moved another application in the court seeking withdrawal of its earlier plea. Two years ago, the court had reserved verdict on the CBI's application for withdrawal.

The Samajwadi Party with 22 members in the Lok Sabha could provide support to the UPA in the Budget session which promises to be stormy with the entire opposition adamant on a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scam.