New Delhi: The Supreme Court today (May 5, 2004) issued notices to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and top Samajwadi Party leaders on a petition challenging the quashing of some of the charges against them in the case relating to alleged assault on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati and her supporters in a guest house in Lucknow in 1995.

The trial court had quashed charges under Prevention of Atrocities of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act on the accused and the Allahabad High Court had quashed charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, in which it was alleged that Yadav and his supporters had made a bid to break BSP by luring away MLAs.

The petition was filed by Barkhu Ram Verma, a former BSP minister, challenging both the trial court and the high court order.