New Delhi: The alleged 2002-2003 Taj heritage corridor scam worth Rs 175 crore has returned to haunt Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who was the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister then, and the then irrigation minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who is now in the Congress, as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has procured the first prosecution sanction in the case.
CBI officials said the central development agency National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC), which was developing the project, intended to upgrade tourist facilities near the Taj Mahal and was to be implemented during Mayawati’s tenure 20 years ago, has given sanction to prosecute its the then general manager (now retired) Mahendra Sharma.
The officials said prosecution officer of the CBI Amit Kumar requested for sanction prosecution of Sharma in the case in November 2022 and the NPCC gave the sanction last month.
They said it was the first prosecution sanction in the case in past 20 years, adding that a CBI special court (corruption) in Lucknow will examine the prosecution sanction on May 22 and take up the matter further.
The central probe agency was also going to make witness senior officials of NPCC who facilitated the prosecution sanction against Sharma recently.