New Delhi: The Supreme Court on September 11 directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to verify within a week and submit a report on the assets of four persons allegedly involved in the scam relating to the Rs 175 crore Taj Heritage Corridor (THC) project at Agra ordered to be constructed by the Mayawati government without statutory sanctions.

Without naming the persons, a Bench comprising Justice M B Shah and Justice AR Lakshmanan directed CBI to "go after the trail of the Rs 17 crore released for the construction of the project and find out as to where it has gone, how it has been spent and who have benefited from it".

This order came after the Bench briefly glanced through the two-volume probe report and annexures running into over 700-pages submitted in the court by CBI and asked the agency as to why it has not verified the assets of those involved in the scam despite a clear direction to this effect last month.

Appearing for CBI, Additional Solicitor General Altaf Ahmed said "it will take time as such kind of investigation is discrete, wide and a painstaking exercise".

Disapproving the agency's method of looking into the assets, the Bench observed, "By delaying, everything will be lost and nothing would be recovered. Collection of evidence regarding assets is much more important."

The change of guard in Uttar Pradesh had its effect as the state government, which at one time opposed the CBI probe and wanted it to be first investigated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), said on September 11 verifying the assets was of utmost importance to the case.

PTI