Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Tuesday issued a notice to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for her alleged role in the arson attack at state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi`s residence here July 15.
Together with the Chief Minister, the high court also issued notices to principal secretary to the state governor, principal home secretary, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Inspector of Hussainganj police station, under whose jurisdiction Joshi`s residence falls.
The court was responding to a petition moved by Joshi, seeking a CBI probe into the ransacking and arson at her Sarojini Naidu Marg residence here July 15 allegedly by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) activists.
While turning down the Congress party`s demand for a CBI probe into the incident, Mayawati had referred the case to the crime branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
According to a High Court source, the bench comprising Justice Abdul Mateen and Justice Akhilesh Singh has directed the CID to submit its findings before the court Oct 13.
Joshi was arrested July 16 on charges of making derogatory remarks against Mayawati in Moradabad. She was sent judicial custody for 14 days after being booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, but was bailed out after three days.
Her house in Lucknow was set on fire on the night of July 15. Joshi apologised for her remarks, but demanded a CBI probe into the arson attack on her house.
Bureau Report
