Apex court disposes of 2009 petition against Mayawati

In a respite for Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, the Supreme Court on Wednesday drew the curtains on a 2009 public interest litigation (PIL) seeking reimbursement of public funds allegedly spent on erecting statues of Mayawati and the BSP's party symbol, the elephant, in public spaces across Uttar Pradesh when she was the chief minister.

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI: The development came on the day Mayawati turned 69.

A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma noted that the petition had become infructuous due to the passage of time and other intervening developments, including measures adopted by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The court took note of an ECI circular that barred political parties from using public funds or government resources for activities amounting to party promotion or electioneering.