Samajwadi Party chief, kin almost cut loose by CBI

The CBI gave a near-clean chit to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday when it told the Supreme Court that the enquiry into the disproportionate assets case against him and his sons was closed in 2013. This is the first time the agency has spoken about a formal closure, although Mulayam hinted to it while filing an affidavit in the apex court earlier this week.

Mulayam, in his affidavit earlier this week, told the court that after detailed enquiry by CBI over two years, no case was found against him or his family, due to which "as per information available with him" CBI closed the case.

However, he's not yet completely off the hook as the CBI's Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought four weeks to file a reply. The Bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear the matter after summer holidays.

The Court was hearing advocate Vishwanath Chaturvedi application, acting on whose petition SC had directed the CBI to launch the preliminary enquiry against Mulayam and his two sons Akhilesh and Prateek.

In 2005, Chaturvedi moved Court accusing Mulayam and his family of having assets disproportionate to their incomes. In March 2007, SC allowed the CBI to file a preliminary enquiry into the details of wealth held by Mulayam, his sons and daughter-in-law Dimple.

The CBI did not find any evidence in two status reports, but in the third one filed on October 26, 2007, it found prima facie proof against all persons. It even recommended registration of a regular case.

Then in December 2008, the agency sought withdrawal of its view to prosecute Mulayam and his kin. Around the same time, the Samajwadi Party had cozied up to the then UPA government, led by Dr Manmohan Singh. However, when relations soured, CBI moved yet another application to revive its earlier stand.

The four Yadavs filed review petitions requesting the apex court to reconsider its order. On December 13, 2012, the top court gave a free hand to the CBI to proceed with its investigation against all, but Dimple. Since then, nothing was known about the action taken by CBI, forcing Chaturvedi to approach the Court.

The investigating body's report said that assets of the entire family taken together (Rs 24 crore), were disproportionate to known sources of income (Rs 9 crore).