SC closes 2009 PIL against installation of Mayawati’s statues
Almost 15 years after a PIL sought a probe into the alleged spending of more than Rs 2,000 crore by the Uttar Pradesh Government on installing elephant statutes and personal glorification of the then Chief Minister, Mayawati, the Supreme Court on Wednesday closed the matter.
Disposing of a petition filed by advocates Ravi Kant and Sukumar, a Bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice SC Sharma said most of the prayers had become infructuous and that the Election Commission has already issued guidelines on the issue. A stay on the installation of the statues cannot be granted as those have already been installed, it said.
The petitioners had alleged that Rs 2,000 crore from the state’s budget for 2008-09 and 2009-10 was used when Mayawati was the Uttar Pradesh CM for installing her statues and the BSP poll symbol — elephant — at different places, including parks.
The installation of 60 elephant statues at the cost of Rs 52.2 crore was not only wastage of public money but also contrary to circulars issued by the EC, they alleged.
Justifying her decision, she had told the top court in 2019 that the construction of her life-size statues and the BSP’s poll symbol at various places in Uttar Pradesh during her tenure as the state’s chief minister represented the “will of the people”.
Mayawati had urged the top court to dismiss the PIL, terming it “politically motivated” and a gross abuse of the judicial process.
