SC seeks CBI response on DA case against Mulayam, Akhilesh

New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the CBI on the steps taken by it in pursuance to its preliminary enquiry into alleged disproportionate assets (DA) of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Prateek Yadav.

The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta gave the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) two weeks' time to respond to the plea by the applicant Vishwanath Chaturvedi seeking to place before the top court the investigation report carried out in pursuance to the apex court's March 1, 2017 and December 13, 2012 orders.

"Issue notice returnable in two weeks," said the court order on Monday.

The top court had on March 1, 2007 directed the CBI to carry out a preliminary enquiry (PE) against the SP chief, his sons Akhilesh Yadav and Prateek Yadav, and Akhilesh's wife Dimple Yadav over the allegations of their possessing disproportionate assets.

The investigating agency, which had registered the PE on March 5, 2007, had by its October 26, 2007 status report said that on the basis of its PE, registration of a regular case under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 is warranted against Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and others.

The top court by its December 13, 2012, order had declined the plea by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and his brother Prateek Yada, to revisit its March 1, 2007 order directing a CBI probe into the allegation of their possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

However, by its December 13, 20912 order, the top court had dropped probe against Dimple Yadav, saying that she was not holding any public office during the period the Yadavs allegedly amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.