New Delhi: The Supreme Court today (Nov 4) asked the court commissioner in the Rs 175 crore Taj Heritage Corridor case to file an application, giving details about the circumstances in which the Allahabad High Court had granted stay of arrest of former Chief Minister Mayawati and six other accused against whom first information reports (FIRs) have been lodged by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The direction was given by a Bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice S B Sinha and Justice AR Lakshmanan on a special mention seeking early hearing of a pending application filed by former Uttar Pradesh Environment Secretary V K Gupta, who has been named as an accused in the case.

Advocate Krishan Mahajan, who has been appointed the court commissioner in the case pertaining to Taj Trapezium Zone, opposed Gupta's application contending that since the probe into the case had progressed on the direction of this court, it would be gross interference with the apex court order.

He said the court had directed the registration of FIRs against those allegedly involved in the scam after giving detail consideration to the three CBI reports.

The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of Gupta, but refused his plea for quashing the FIR.

Gupta had filed an interim application in the apex court challenging the inquiry against him in the scam before CBI had registered FIR.

The Allahabad High Court has also stayed the arrest of Mayawati, former UP Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqi, former UP chief secretary D S Bagga, former State principal environment secretary R K Sharma and former principal secretary to Mayawati P L Punia.

PTI