Maya may have to pay ₹ 1,200cr for statues: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday orally hinted that the BSP supremo Mayawati will have to reimburse around ` 1,200 crore to the Uttar Pradesh government for erecting statues of herself and elephants at the Noida memorial park.

A Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna made this “tentative” observation while hearing a PIL filed by advocates Ravi Kant and Sukumaran in 2009 questioned the then decision of Ms Mayawati to erect 90 elephant statues in the Noida memorial constructed for her leader Kanshiram.

The CJI orally told senior counsel Rakesh Khanna appearing for Ms Mayawati and Satish Mishra for BSP, “The hearing of this appeal will take some time. This is our tentative view. Primarily, madam Ms Mayawati has to reimburse to the public exchequer the entire amount spent for these ( construction of) elephants. Please inform your client. List for final disposal on April 2.”

When Mr Mishra wanted the matter to be heard in May ( in view of the Lok Sabha polls), the CJI told the counsel, “Don’t compel us to say

Primarily, madam Ms Mayawati has to reimburse to the public exchequer the entire amount spent for these ( construction of) elephants... — SC bench

■ Continued from Page 1 something which we don’t want to say. We will have it on April 2.”

The petitioners alleged that the PIL was filed due to the collusion of Ms Mayawati, her party and other departments to falsely glorify the incumbent chief minister’s whims of putting up statues of herself by misusing public money and land.

Mr Kant claimed that ` 12.58 billion (` 1,258 crore) has been spent from the state exchequer to build statues, and a total of more than Rs 20 billion (` 2,000 crore) to “falsely glorify the chief minister”.

The petitioners alleged that building of statues was being done as a state policy, which is arbitrary and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution. They challenged the installation of 90 elephants statue at public places by utilising state funds.

The petitioners said that the so- called “state policy” smacks of nepotism and dictatorial type of functioning of the ( then) chief minister.

They have claimed that under the grab of making statues of great dalit leaders it was only an exercise for the glorification of the Chief Minister, Mayawati.