SC pulls up CBI in Mulayam assets case

NEW DELHI: The CBI's handling of the disprortionate assets case against Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members came under sharp attack from the Supreme Court, which said the agency was "acting at the behest" of the Centre in the matter.

"You (CBI) are acting at the behest of Central Government and the Law Ministry. You are not acting on your own," a Bench comprising Justice Altmas Kabir and Justice Cyriac Joseph said.

The sharp observations came when Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran said that the opinion of the Law Ministry was sought to withdraw an application under which the CBI had sought filing of an inquiry report before the apex court and not to the Centre.

"You realise what you are saying. It is very unusual. It is because Central Government gave opinion you filed the interim application (for withdrawal of the earlier application seeking to file the inquiry report to the apex court)," the Bench said.

"Why did you file the interim application on the opinion of the Central Government? It is incomprehensible," the Bench said.

The apex court had ordered a CBI enquiry on the alleged accumulation of disproportionate assets by Yadav, his sons -- Akhilesh, Prateek -- and daughter-in-law Dimple on a public interest litigation (PIL) by an advocate Vishwanath Chaturvedi.