As the Mulayam Singh government prepared to seek from the CBI details of properties of four UP IAS officials who are under the scanner in the Taj controversy, CBI sources in Lucknow today said the agency was likely to file an FIR in this connection in a day or two.Reacting to the Supreme Court directive for departmental inquiry against the officials involved, Chief Secretary Akhand Pratap Singh said: ‘‘We will ask the CBI for details and will proceed against the four IAS officials as per guidelines in the service rule.A chargesheet will be issued to them. It depends on the government if it wishes to appoint an inquiry officer or constitutes a board, comprising two members, one serving and the other retired.’’The officials to face the music are P. L. Punia, who was Principal Secretary to Mayawati; D.S. Bagga, ex- Chief Secretary; R K Sharma, Principal Secretary (Environment) before he was suspended by Mayawati; ex-Secretary (Environment) V.K. Gupta.According to CBI sources, the agency, in its report to the SC, had submitted details of over 80 properties owned by Mayawati and her family in five districts of the state. It had also attached the statement of the bank where her salary as CM was being deposited.As TVs flashed news of the SC directive this morning, it sent UP babudom into a tizzy while politicians, other than those of the BSP, were elated, gloating over new trouble for Mayawati. Swami Prasad Maurya, BSP legislature party leader, rose to Mayawati’s defence: ‘‘The court has directed that an FIR be registered against Behenji and Nasimuddin Siddique but this does not mean they are guilty of misappropriation of funds in the Taj controversy.’’ UP BJP chief Vinay Katiyar, however, said: ‘‘There is no political vendetta involved here. The order has come from the SC. You reap what you sow.’’This is the second time that Mayawati is under the CBI scanner. Kalyan Singh had recommended a CBI probe into the purchase of float pumps for the fire brigade during her rule in 1997.The CBI, however, was denied permission to prosecute her by the then Governor Suraj Bhan.
